Everything is theatre

From the poetic perspective of Fernando Pessoa to the aesthetic vernacular of Portuguese architecture, Orpheu paints a Fauvist vision of imagination and reality through the eyes of Olivier Garcé and Clio Dimofski.

Joyfully resolute, each style in the collection offers a simplified expression of an emotional state similar to how a single note of music or unadorned pigment prompts subconscious response. In this way, each design is wholly transportive while still entirely open to interpretation by its viewer and their individual way of seeing. Echoing aesthetic sentiments of the Fauvist art movement led by Henri Matisse, every rug presents a woolen canvas of vibrant color and melodic movement — from radical rays of sunlight to towers of Azulejo tiling.

Drawing inspiration from Portugal’s illustrious history, Orpheu, the collection’s namesake, was derived from a short-lived literary magazine of the same name in Lisbon, originally founded in 1915 by poet Fernando Pessoa (in partnership with Mário de Sá-Carneiro). Critical to the country’s avant-garde modernist movement, the journal was a synthesis of the arts, making way for the wide-eyed creatives of the time and place. Pessoa, a poignant point of reference for Garcé & Dimofski, once spoke of his layered sense of self as an ability to “feel everything in every way.” This obtuse definition of emotional volume informed the styles of Orpheu in its exploration of highly gestural designs that though minimal in their bold simplicity are in fact stratified with meaning.

The subtle yet expressive designs of Orpheu are brought to life with an elevated focus on artistry and craftsmanship through a hybrid-method that combines knotted and flatweave constructions together in one rug. A method that is so meticulous, each design must be created by our master weavers. With these pairings, the method of making serves not only as a stage for each rug's story, but as a harmonious component in the design's wider plot.

“It’s been incredible to watch our weavers push our construction capabilities to a new level to bring the intricate detailing Olivier and Clio’s designs required to life. Orpheu forges an entirely new realm of aesthetics and craftsmanship for Beni,” says Tiberio Lobo-Navia, Beni co-founder.

Orpheu will make its debut in the resplendent Féau Boiseries in Paris today as a part of Invisible Collection’s presentation in partnership with the Mobilier National, and at Invisible Collection’s Rive Gauche Gallery.

All eight acts of Orpheu were photographed at the Mosteiro São Vicente de Fora Monastery in Lisbon, Portugal and in situ inside Olivier Garcé and Clio Dimofski’s home in Lisbon by Inês Silva Sá.

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