Peace, Love & Rock’n’Roll

“There is something up in the air when I’m gifting things. It tastes like hope. It’s the same hope I will invest in designing.” For Valentine Langlais, the act of giving becomes a way of understanding how we relate to others. Gifts are words unspoken, bridges between people, crossed again and again. Valentine collected single-portion sachets of condiments, available in cafés, that are free and wrapped like little presents. By personalising and presenting them to friends, she compiled a family of objects that bore the same language – hers – intimate and generous. The more gifts she gave, the more coffee she had to order, sliding yet another sachet of sugar into her pocket every time on her way out.