Biography

Alex Delbos-Gomez is a designer and researcher based in Paris and Saint-Étienne. He has developed a countercultural approach to design that he calls “sedimentary baroque.”

“Sedimentary Baroque” is a reflection on human behavior in the context of modernity—an approach that straddles the line between a lens through which to observe the world and a tool for exploring forms and narratives.

Research Project at the Foundation

For this residency, Alex is exploring the materiality of the web. His project aims to give the computer server a sculptural physicality. With his “Totem Server”—created in collaboration with designer Tanguy Pitavy for the interface—Alex presents an interactive object that brings together local knowledge from the two Charentes regions based on the principle of a wiki, a database fueled by collective contributions. The “Totem Server” builds on the “Living Archives” project, launched at the Martell Corporate Foundation in 2023.

Interim Results from the Residency

During his residency at the Foundation, the designer built the server from scratch—from its interface to its ceramic and glass structure, including the assembly of its computer components. Self-contained, the Totem Server is intended to be a hybrid sculpture. Permanently installed in the residency space, at the foot of the Living Archive, it will be accessible by appointment to visitors and residents wishing to explore and contribute to the ever-evolving archives.

Registration for the Almanach Lab

Alex Delbos-Gomez’s work is rooted in an approach to the creolization of technologies. By challenging the sovereignty of the internet and computer hardware through a DIY, autonomous server setup, he raises questions about resources as data: How can we build shared databases while avoiding commercial hegemony? How can information be situated locally? What kind of technical user-friendliness is possible to strengthen the system?

This project is part of a content design whose form extends all the way to the infrastructure: the technical object ranges from artisanal production based on localized resources to technological artifacts reduced to their simplest uses.

Resources Involved

The Foundation’s glass and ceramics workshops
Associations and residents of Cognac