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Visual Wonder of Rive Roshan: When Curiosity Fuels Design

Special thanks to Renske Werner for this post.

02.07.20 | By
Visual Wonder of Rive Roshan: When Curiosity Fuels Design

An impressive CV of collaborations with the world’s most design-forward companies offers a visual peek into the wildly creative minds of Golnar Roshan and Ruben de la Rive Box of Rive Roshan. Their Iranian-Australian and Dutch backgrounds and nomadic lifestyle epitomizes their affinity with different cultures and countries. Currently based in Amsterdam, Rive Roshan is operating on a global stage, striving to not be dependent on one place.

Photo: Dunja Opalko

Their personal and professional courtship blossomed when both Roshan and de la Rive Box worked in Marcel Wanders’ graphic design department in 2011. “We were excited about shifting our utilitarian design tasks into something more immersive and integrated”, says de la Rive Box. When a project took him to London later that year, Roshan, who shares a similar vision and fresh thinking, joined him. The two stayed to live and work in the English capital for the next five years.

Colour Wheels at Museum Jan van der Togt 2018 \\\ Photo: Rive Roshan

In 2012, the designers established their namesake studio and they dove into London’s fast and furious design scene. Learning through practice, Rive Roshan collaborated with Tom Dixon, Tord Boontje, and Moooi, and they co-founded the design collective Form & Seek to offer a platform for designers different and alike.

Currently their portfolio includes solo exhibitions (Milan and London) and product design (Moooi, Gentle Monster), but Rive Roshan is not only a standalone design studio, it also functions as a research lab and incubator for their creative agency Design & Practice.

Colour Shift Panel \\\ Photo: Rive Roshan

“A great synergy exists between the two”, says Roshan when asked how they manage to stay relevant in the crowded global marketplace. “Our formula includes a balance between our personal work (Rive Roshan) and the projects we do purely to meet a client’s needs (Design & Practice).” For both types of work the duo’s consistent starting point is a quote from a poem by Kahlil Gibran in which he writes: work is love made visible. To further fuel inspiration, they turn to nature. “Natural phenomena such as reflection, fog and tidal flow offer a sense of visual wonder”, explains Roshan. “This state of visual wonder promotes a mind-expanding work ethic with which we hope to shift our own and our audience’s perspectives.”

The duo’s thoughtful work method requires a progressive and engaging attitude. “Currently, the world seems to be moving into the opposite direction, and we believe that art and design has the power to change people’s perspective. The work we do is about creating an emotional attachment to a concept and evoke feelings”, says de la Rive Box. “And we let our audience do the rest.”

A selection of recent, current, and upcoming work by Rive Roshan:

Stilled Life \\\ Galerie KRL at Dutch Design Week 2019 \\\ Photo: Rive Roshan

Stilled Life by Rive Roshan – Galerie KRL Dutch Design Week 2019
Their most holistic and immersive installation to date.
Rive Roshan was asked by the gallery to create an experiential exhibition during Dutch Design Week. They created a space where visitors could reflect, slow down, and take the time to enjoy the space and what they see; a multi-sensory experience for guests where scent, sound (or the lack of), visual stimulation, and touch would all be brought together. Within this exhibition Rive Roshan launched their Moooi Carpets Trichroic collection and the Fluid Broadloom carpet as well as the collection with Sandhelden.

Stilled Life \\\ Galerie KRL at Dutch Design Week 2019 \\\ Photo: Rive Roshan

Stilled Life \\\ Galerie KRL at Dutch Design Week 2019 \\\ Photo: Rive Roshan

Gentle Monster x SKP Beijing \\\ Photo: Courtesy of Gentle Monster

Gentle Monster x SKP Beijing
Rive Roshan was commissioned to make a collection of sculptural glass objects to be part of the Gentle Monster installation in SKP Beijing. The new SKP-Select space in Beijing takes the idea of luxury shopping to another level. Rive Roshan created a collection of glass sculptures that added visual wonder to their landscape vision of the future. The pieces became a collection of futuristic viewing points that interact with color, light and the desolate landscape. The installation brings together brands including Acne Studios, Rimoa and Jil Sanders.

Gentle Monster x SKP Beijing \\\ Photo: Courtesy of Gentle Monster

Gentle Monster x SKP Beijing \\\ Photo: Courtesy of Gentle Monster

Sand in Motion \\\ Photo: Ronald Smits courtesy of Galerie KRL

Sand in Motion
Sandhelden asked Rive Roshan to explore their technology of working with 3D printed sand and push the boundaries of their material and processes. The designers created pieces that look like they are frozen in movement even though they are as hard as concrete. The result was quite a large un-compromised collection of objects including a standing mirror of nearly 2m high, vessels, side-tables, and a chair.

Sand in Motion \\\ Photo: Ronald Smits courtesy of Galerie KRL

Sand in Motion \\\ Photo: Ronald Smits courtesy of Galerie KRL

Sand in Motion \\\ Photo: Ronald Smits courtesy of Galerie KRL

Sand in Motion \\\ Photo: Ronald Smits courtesy of Galerie KRL

UPCOMING
The launch of new collection with Moooi and Moooi carpets during Milan Design Week and a solo exhibition in Milan Design Week in April. Roshan: “We are working with our partners to bring the installation that looks at the idea of “Metaphysical Landscapes” and launching some new pieces within the exhibition.”

Renske Werner is a writer and illustrator based in Vancouver. You can find her portfolio here or check out her Instagram feed.