Philae – Mise en Abyme
Bringing together Swiss gallery Raw Senses and surface specialists BWB, initiated for Zurich Design Week, the Philae Bookshelf by Raphael Kadid is crafted entirely from hand-anodised aluminium. With its structure mirroring architectural principles, the piece is assembled with triangulated connections akin to a card tower, ensuring stability. Taking inspiration from aerial photography of aluminium mining sites, Kadid has created an abstract pattern across the surface through hand-anodising processes developed with BWB. Becoming an ode to its mineral origins, the bookshelf has also been created with modularity in mind and can be easily extended or recycled at the end of use.
Credits / BWB / Raw Senses / Visuals by Profiler Studio
Biography
Based in Basel, French architect and designer Raphael Kadid works across architecture, product design and photography. Graduating from the École d'Architecture de la Ville & des Territoires Paris-Est in 2012, Kadid trained as an architect in Basel before founding his studio in 2021. Alongside his practice, he is also the editor of art and architecture newsletter Daily Dose and teaches at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.