A major retrospective has been launched by The Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, this September, featuring the works of iconic industrial designer Roger Tallon (1929-2011). Design in Motion is an explorative event that charts over six decades of acclaimed contributions to the world of design, and the intriguing imagination that fuelled them.
With industry at the centre of his creations, Tallon created a legacy for himself with new and innovative ways to construct both functional and aesthetically-considered technology. For example, he is perhaps best known for the sleek silhouette of France’s high speed train, Train a Grand Vitesse.
Having become known in the 1970’s for portable television designs (Téléavia P111) and the Mach 2000 wristwatch, he continued to progress as a master of his practice, designing everything from spiral staircases for the metro underground railway in Paris, to refrigerators.
The field of transportation is perhaps where the artist has earned most of his prestige: in 1968 he designed the Mexico City Metro and in the early 1970s he collaborated with the French National Railways to design the Corail train, named by Tallon based on the idea for “comfort on rail.” At the pinnacle of his career he was appointed Director of design for the Eurostar trains, a commodity that has become ingrained in contemporary society for many.
For the designer, he saw his practice as one that was international and universal, one that encompassed ergonomics, colour and lighting and would create a space for evolving lifestyles.
This event is the first comprehensive retrospective after the Centre Pompidou’s, Paris, show in 1993, and is achievable only by Tallon’s donation to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs archives in 2008. Hoping to demonstrate dynamism and complexity, the show covers an entire career through drawings, technical plans, photographs, notes and many other materials to create a complete overview and view into the lives of one of the most acclaimed designers in French history.
Roger Tallon: Design in Motion runs until 8 January 2017.
Find out more: www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr
Credits:
1. Téléavia P111. Courtesy of Roger Tallon and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs.
