Paris Design Week: Astre Mobile

Presentation

On the occasion of Paris Design Week and the European Heritage Days, the studio Maison Lacmé presents Astre Mobile, a transparent car transformed into a work of art, blending craftsmanship, material, and imagination.

Astre Mobile is a transparent car that hides its true nature, whether it is driving or stationary. Conceived as a work of art in its own right, it follows the tradition of Art Cars, where the automobile becomes a medium for artistic expression.

Conceived and artistically directed by Antoine Tauvel, Artistic Director of Maison Lacmé, Astre Mobile was born from an in-depth design process blending drawings, formal research, models, and sculptural prototypes. The result is a blend of luxury and simplicity, where noble and sustainable materials bear the trace of the ephemeral, movement, and gestures.

This work also celebrates encounters and collective creation. About a dozen French artisans were invited to contribute. Gold, onyx, seashells, wood, leather, feathers, lacquer, porcelain: each material is worked like a language, each piece like an autonomous work. From the steering wheel to the speedometer, from the gear knob to the upholstery, everyday elements are transformed and reinterpreted based on Antoine Tauvel's initial artistic intentions.

Astre Mobile reveals itself as a mobile cabinet of curiosities. A work that can be apprehended as a whole or fragmented, by dwelling on every detail. The separated parts can also be diverted from their initial use with many surprises, such as these stone hubcaps that become a lamp and are replaced by their trompe-l'œil version, the car logo that turns into jewelry, etc. An invitation to slow down the gaze, to explore the material, and to leave room for imagination.

The project is based on recurring notions in Antoine Tauvel's work: movement, time, play, and the connection to elements and the stars. Each intervention dialogues with these themes, from the artisanal gesture to the evocation of wider phenomena, from touch to light.

Both an object, a work, and an experience, Astre Mobile questions our relationship with objects and their use. It offers another interpretation of the automobile: no longer just as a means of transport, but as a territory for creation and reverie.

Astre Mobile brings together a dozen French artisans, including:

• Feather marquetry speedometer — Maison Vermeulen
• Seashell-embroidered upholstery — Aurélie Lanoiselée
• Porcelain gear lever — Ateliers Arquié
• Heating box — helio-engraving by Fanny Boucher, gold-leaf gilded by Lise Richardot
• Driftwood steering wheel — Claude Prautois
• Urushi lacquer key — Alexandre Duboc
• Russian leather pieces — Élise Blouet-Ménard
• White onyx hubcaps — Hervé Obligi
• White onyx trompe-l'œil hubcaps — Pierre-Yves Morel
• Metallic embroidery logo — Marie Archambaud

ABOUT MAISON LACMÉ

Maison Lacmé is a creative studio founded by Cécile and Antoine Tauvel. Their approach combines art, design, and fine craftsmanship, with particular attention to collaborations and expertise. Astre Mobile marks the first work resulting from this shared exploration.

Together, they work with collectors, interior designers, institutions, and luxury houses. Their goal: to bring to life dreamlike worlds and objects, to rekindle wonder, celebrate the beauty of the moment, and weave stories to share, where exchanges are born and time fades away.

ABOUT PARIS DESIGN WEEK

Paris Design Week is a flagship contemporary design event that transforms Paris every year into an open-air creative path, bringing together designers, artisans, galleries, publishing houses, and cultural institutions. For ten days, the event highlights new forms of creation, expertise, and the dialogue between heritage, innovation, and craftsmanship.