Apparatus Celebrates Life's Cycles in "Afsaneh" Collection

Named after Gabriel Hendifar’s mother, “Act V” moves from seed to flower to serpent to world in brass, bronze, fibreglass and blown glass.

New York design studio Apparatus has unveiled its latest collection, which has been inspired by life’s cycles from creation to destruction.

Marking the studio’s first collection in five years, “Act V” was designed by Apparatus’ artistic director Gabriel Hendifar, who named the series “Afsaneh” after his mother. It comprises 27 pieces of lighting, furniture and objects.

It’s also the Persian word for “fable”, and as with Hendifar’s typical approach, the collection unfolds around a story. This time, the narrative looks at the various stages of life. It was, in part, inspired by the turbulent times we live in, with Hendifar observing that where there is destruction, there is also creation.

“Life is shaped by cycles. Creation and destruction. The separation from self and the return,” says Hendifar. “It’s in these cycles that the collection finds its rhythm.”

In a tangible sense, this concept is explored in four sections throughout the collection, each given a Persian name. It begins with Esfand/The Seed, which is named after the 12th month of the Persian calendar, and is a symbol for the mother and fertility, while also being the thing that protects from the evil eye in Persian lore.

The seed acts as the building block for the whole collection. In Esfand, it takes the form of rounded sconces, vessels and a smoking vessel for burning incense, which suits a seed traditionally burned to ward off the evil eye. The pieces are lacquered in colours drawn from nature, from milk and honey to pomegranate, sky, dusk and night.

Secondly is Gol/The Flower, which is the seed in bloom. Here, cast-glass seeds sit inside large shades of moulded fibreglass, which form thin, membrane-like petals around the light. Depending on the angle, the pendants read as flowers or as jellyfish. Hendifar describes the shade as a way of wrapping the seed in beauty, both to protect it and to draw people towards it.

Thirdly is Rahvi/The Serpent, representing an ever-evolving storyteller and a collector of knowledge. The serpent winds its way around a chandelier, a pendant and a sconce, and marks the most figurative turn in Apparatus’ work to date.

Finally, there’s Jahaan/The World, which is where everything arrives in totality. This series centres on the table as a place to gather, share food and pass on knowledge. It includes a dining table with cast-glass details, a smoking table and a smoking vessel, with bronze and aluminium combined with cast glass in forms that reference the cosmos.

Throughout each of the four series, materials that have become synonymous with Apparatus’ practice have been used, including brass, bronze and glass. There’s also been exploration of new techniques too, such as water-formed brass, which sees liquid forced through metal components to shape them.

This technique is particularly visible in the Rahvi designs, where water-formed brass and blown glass trace the serpent’s movement. The pieces are finished with amulets made from seven semi-precious stones: tiger’s eye, black onyx, quartz, honey agate, red jasper, lapis lazuli and aventurine.

As with previous Acts, the collection extends beyond objects. Afsaneh has its own namesake fragrance with notes of damask rose, oud and frankincense, and the story is told through five short films made with the Martha Graham Dance Company, which is marking its centenary this year.

Act V: Afsaneh premiered in New York in October before travelling to the studio’s London showroom on Mount Street. It will be shown in Miami and Los Angeles in February 2027, coinciding with the opening of a new Apparatus showroom in Miami.