Bar Platine honours the bon viveurs spirit, it comes to celebrate those who choose joy despite and in defiance of hardship. It is a tribute to that innate instinct to gather, to enjoy life and to toast the Present, the Absent and the enduring.

This floor-to-ceiling bar features rotating stainless steel shelves. Varying heights accommodate bottles and glasses of all kinds, making the bar as versatile as it is captivating. Layer upon layer the different shelves speak to the strata of Beirut itself, a city destroyed and rebuilt time and again. The steel surfaces capture and scatter surrounding colours and textures, casting an ever-changing play of light and shadow.

Drawn in by this shifting display, the user becomes part of an unfolding performance of craft and creation. Rooted in the theatre of mixology and music, it becomes a stage of sorts, brought to life through touch and use. The circular movement of the shelves echoes the spin of a turntable but also becomes hypnotic, almost ritualistic and alludes to the passing of time. The motion emulates the rhythm of a people always in flux, who trace their paths in a world that rarely remains still. While the bar is functional it is also symbolic. It stands tall, meditative, reflective, pivoting. It is about strength, survival and beauty. It is a totem of togetherness and perseverance, a testament that even in the hardest of moments, we somehow always manage to raise a glass.

Exhibited as part of the second edition of WeDesign Beirut at Villa Audi, within the exhibition Totems of the Present and the Absent.