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“I’ve never won a competition that I didn’t break a rule.”
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| Mark Grattan Won’t Be Put Into a Box
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| Mark Grattan was never certain where life would take him. Not too long after the fledgling furniture designer settled down at a shop in Brooklyn’s Industry City to carve out the inaugural collection for VIDIVIXI, his newly launched studio, he relocated to Mexico City. The move has afforded him the precious space—mentally, physically, and financially—to crystallize VIDIVIXI’s footing in the design industry as an ascendant purveyor of seductive and highly sophisticated furniture infused with sumptuous materiality and global craft.
Grattan, who is black and queer, serves as VIDIVIXI’s leading creative force. He prefers to distance his own narrative from the brand, rarely divulging personal details and instead remaining steadfast in his philosophy that VIDIVIXI’s work speaks for itself. In other words, Grattan exists on his own terms—much like the furniture he masterfully creates.
Lately, Grattan has been ruminating on how his queer black identity fits into the design industry, which skews overwhelmingly white. It’s an intimate—and often harrowing—inner monologue that he experiences in an evocative new photo series, in which he faces himself in VIDIVIXI’s Split Mirror, a standout from the brand’s Spring 2020 collection. Not only do the images reflect the strength and resolve of somebody still finding his footing in an industry that doesn’t look like him, but it marks one of the first times that Grattan has directly ascribed his identity into his studio’s work.
In an exclusive interview, Grattan reflects on his experiences with racism, how the design industry can achieve equity, and why the media should stop putting black talent in a box. Read the interview.
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| What Else Is Happening?
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Matthew Williams, the founder of 1017 ALYX 9SM, joins Givenchy as creative director.
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Chris Burden sues an Indonesian theme park for ripping off his Urban Light sculpture.
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Diane von Furstenberg faces an uncertain future after shedding 75 percent of its staff.
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Akon secures a $6 billion grant to build a futuristic metropolis, Akon City, in Senegal.
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Reach the design world every morning. Find out more about advertising in the Design Dispatch.
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| Amount of Plastic That Rains on U.S. Protected Areas Yearly
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In 2017, the world produced 348 million metric tons of plastic—a staggering figure that shows no signs of slowing down. And according to a new study at Utah State University, 1,000 tons of plastic rain down on protected areas across the U.S. every year. That amount, calculated using microplastic samples collected over 14 months, is roughly equivalent to 123 million plastic water bottles.
“Our data show the plastic cycle is reminiscent of the global water cycle, having atmospheric, oceanic, and terrestrial lifetimes,” says assistant professor Janice Brahney, who conducted the study and admits her findings raise major ecological and social concerns. Her next step? “Identifying the key mechanisms of plastic emission to the atmosphere is a first step in developing global-scale solutions.”
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| Member Spotlight: Roche Bobois
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| Roche Bobois, a leader in high-end furniture, is known for its quality, European know-how, and customization. Its furniture is born from a close collaboration between the brand, designers, and manufacturers. Each comes in a wide variety of sizes, materials, colors, and finishes, so it becomes truly your own.
| Surface Says: We can always count on Roche Bobois for progressive, entertaining design. Having worked with fashion designers to architects, the brand continues to wow with each new collaboration.
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| Today’s Attractive Distractions
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