Arielle Assouline-Lichten | Slash Objects
Arielle Assouline-Lichten is a designer, architect and artist. She is the founder of Slash Objects, a design studio creating products and furniture based in New York City.
Where are you from and where do you live now? I grew up in Philadelphia as a first-generation American. My parents came to the US in the 70’s - they were living in Morocco before. My mom was born in Denmark and grew up in Israel, and my dad was born and raised in Morocco, and his family is in France now. I spent a lot of time in France growing up visiting my grandmother. I came to New York when I was 18 and have been here off and on since.
What is your earliest memory of design? I grew up in a house that was very design-centric because my mom is an architect. I remember she had a friend who was a graphic designer who had a lot of paper samples and I would play with them, cutting them up, and making assemblages. I was always entranced by all of the many textures and qualities that paper could have. I started using an X-acto knife at a very young age to make my collages.
You studied architecture at Harvard. How did you transition to design? I studied architecture as a means to get a broad education in design when I wasn’t entirely sure how I wanted to apply it. I worked for some amazing firms like BIG, Snohetta, Toshiko Mori, Kengo Kuma. I loved the experiences, but ultimately when I discovered furniture and objects design, I was hooked. I love the scale and material quality and timeframe of this practice far more. I would like to create more spatial and experiential projects in the future.
Who are some of your favorite architects and designers? I love Japanese design and architecture - SANAA are among my favorites, as well as Kengo Kuma, Atelier Bow Wow. I also love Dorte Mandrup’s work, Joseph Dirand, Charlotte Perriand, Eileen Gray…
What are some of your favorite cities and destinations for art, architecture, and design? I was lucky enough to spend some time in Toyko and Japan, it was life-changing and the design and architecture there is incredible. There is a mix of old and new in a way that I had never experienced before.
What is your favorite design movement/period in history? I do love modernism and have a strong affinity for the period when simplicity was radical. I love looking at early examples of that and how connections were expressed when attempting to eliminate ornament.
If you could live in any time period— what, where, why? I would live in the 70s before social media when women’s lib was really starting and it seemed like a time for love and freedom.
Favorite material(s) to work with? Marble is my favorite material because it has so many ways of existing. I love that it comes from the earth, that it is very long-lasting and ages beautifully. I love that it can be transformed and has a great deal of impact with very simple moves. I also love the texture and the way it feels under your hands. I love that it is so strong and resilient, while also being fragile.
You were a star on the hit HBO show Ellen’s Next Great Designer. How was that experience? Being on a competition show was a wild experience! I loved being able to make new work and tap into my flow state. I really felt so lucky to be able to make pieces and show them to the world. I realized that is my happy place, being given the resources to create and communicate with an audience through furniture and creation. The competition aspect was a lot of stress but I loved working with the producers to tell my story and get to see reactions from fans online. I tried to make the most of it and take the opportunity to test new ideas.
How important is sustainability in your work? Upcycling/recycling? I am really interested in making intentional choices with the materials I work with. There are so many ways to be more conscientious about the impact of our work and I like to think that my current modality is to capture discarded materials and transform them. I give myself a brief each time - take something that looks like nothing and make it into something. I’m interested in the power of design decision-making to enchant people and sway them into seeing new possibilities. I stay away from the ‘upcycling’ because I feel like it has gotten a connotation of being very DIY and messy. I like to think that using overlooked source materials as a starting point, and creating highly polished elevated work provides the contrast needed to sway people into understanding the value of the materials we leave behind. In my work itself, I am very interested in the way different materials connect, which to me provides a space for introspection. People are drawn to the point where one material ends and another begins, and question which came first - that to me also begs the question of where these materials originate from and in turn poses the viewer to be introspective about their existence in our man-made world and the resources we consume.
What is next for Slash Objects? I am focusing more on furniture and one-of-a-kind pieces so that I can spend more time creating. These will be pieces that are under my own name as an artist as I evolve my practice and open myself up to more possibilities and collaborations. I would like to work on some installations and larger-scale work as well.
Will you be attending Salone or any of the design fairs? Do you have a favorite? I will be at Salone and launching my Adri Chair in Milan with Serafini Marble. The chair has a new curved edge and is being produced in Italy for the European Market. I am excited to see it come to life in this new way.
What are you most proud of? I am most proud that I took an idea I had and turned it into a business. Sustaining a creative business is hard work and takes a long time.
Who is your dream client? Celine!
What is your dream collaboration? Dior - I love fashion and actually wanted to be a fashion designer originally! I’d love to work with any high-end fashion brand someday
Daily uniform? Black Jeans, French Bleu du Travaille, or an oversized blazer, and Khaite boots these days
Favorite NYC spots? Judd Foundation, Neue Galerie, Cafe Select, Elizabeth Street Garden, Lucien, Forgetmenot, Faurschou Foundation.
What is next for you/Slash Objects? A pop-up in May during NYC x Design with new suspension lights/pendants. Playing with onyx and freeform shapes.
Anything else we should know? I have a concept for a show about ‘objects for the present’ that invites designers to create a furniture piece that keeps you grounded and present. There would be a sound and movement component that I have been discussing with a friend who lives in Paris. I would like to have the show come out in Paris in the fall and be an experiential show that can lean more toward the conceptual/collectible world. There is also a Recycled Glass project in the works - working with glass collected at Good Will, and a local glass artist, to create unique pieces.