Designing Resilience: reviving craft beyond nostalgia
Thursday 15 January —
12:00
- 12:45
The Talks — Hall 3
Description
In a time marked by converging economic, geopolitical, and climate challenges, sustaining vernacular craft traditions—while avoiding the trap of nostalgia—has become more than an act of cultural and social resilience. It is also a powerful and inspiring catalyst for contemporary creativity.
This approach resonates through the work of Ukrainian designer Danuta Kril (Guculiya, Lviv), Lebanese architect Michèle Chaya (MARIAGROUP, Beirut), and French-Ukrainian gallerist Sana Moreau (Galerie Sana Moreau, Paris). Together, they will share their projects and perspectives in a conversation moderated by critic and creative strategy consultant Anne-France Berthelon.
Nos partenaires : ITALIAN TRADE AGENCY
Participants
Michèle Maria ChayaArchitect and Founding partner - MARIAGROUP
Danuta KrilDesigner & Co-owner - Hochu Rayu Design Bureau
Sana MoreauGallerist, international curator and expert in Ukrainian design and art
Anne-France BerthelonJournalist
Michèle Maria Chaya
Architect and Founding partner - MARIAGROUP
Michèle Maria Chaya is the co-founder of MARIAGROUP, an architecture and design studio based in Beirut, which she launched with her brother Georges Maria and later joined by Claudia Skaff. She graduated from the American University of Beirut in 1999, receiving the Azar and Areen Awards for Excellence in Architecture. The studio undertakes projects of all scales across Lebanon, the Middle East, and Europe, with an architectural approach focused on space, light, materials, and texture, transforming each need into unique, poetic physical experiences.
Danuta Kril
Designer & Co-owner - Hochu Rayu Design Bureau
Danuta Kril, born in Lviv, Ukraine, graduated in Design from the Ukrainian National Forestry University in 2007. She began as a furniture designer and co-owns Hochu Rayu Design Bureau, specializing in interiors and public, commercial, and healthcare spaces, exhibiting internationally at Dutch Design Week, Paris Design Week, Łódź and Poznań Design Festivals. In 2021, she founded Guculiya, reviving black-smoked ceramics, with collections showcased at Maison & Objet and shortlisted for Dezeen Awards. She has won multiple national and international awards, including “Created by Women” 2024.
Sana Moreau
Gallerist, international curator and expert in Ukrainian design and art
Sana Moreau is a gallerist, international curator and researcher in Ukrainian design who showcases a refined selection of Ukrainian design and art on the global stage. She is the founder of Galerie Sana Moreau in Paris, the first dedicated to Ukrainian design, offering the European audience a fresh perspective on contemporary Ukrainian creation. Her mission is to discover and promote new talents internationally. As a curator, she weaves connections between deeply rooted traditions, innovative forms and ecological consciousness. A true visionary, she brings unique works together into powerful exhibitions, creating collections that resonate with the aesthetics of our time.
Anne-France Berthelon
Journalist
Freelance out of an addiction to out-of-the-box thinking, Anne-France Berthelon is a creative strategy consultant, curator, and critic. Her zigzagging career, multidisciplinary approach, and interest in design as a global ecosystem at the intersection of architecture, art, fashion, and communication—along with her passion for traveling the world to discover the next generation of talent—have led her to collaborate with publications such as CULTURED at Home, Libération, IDEAT, The Good Life, and Ad China. Her 360° curiosity—undoubtedly her greatest luxury—permeates the singularity of her creative approach.