La Vie Matériel

‘La Vie Matériel’ is really a nice name: easy to read, sounds beautiful, and looks good on a signboard. The book bar is supported by business spirit and build a bridge of culture to witness the youthful years of a whole generation. It has been there for eighteen years. ‘Material’ is the foundation of ‘life’. From the perspective of materialism, it is the foundation of all things in the world. The book bar itself is beyond life.

The aroma of coffee is very pleasant, and immediately helps one to get intimate with the book bar when he enters. Although the food display and preparation counter is very attractive, it does not distract people from staring at the books at the entrance. This is the book bar with the best book choices I have seen in Shenzhen, although I had to add ‘one of’ before ‘the best’ since Eslite Bookstore just opened a few days ago.

After entering, people will become "greedy": want to open themselves, take in everything, and abandon irrelative social attributes to hide in here. The glass frames that are not eye-catching are full of objects telling the old memories — the reports of past years, the inscriptions of important people, and the honors the book bar received.

The wooden space on the right side is designed intentionally - kids could stay here to do their homework after school. With soft light and comfortable seats, it won’t take long to condense a strong self-study atmosphere.

I really like the bay window that remains the original look. The piece that has a symmetrical, convex and concave shape, and inlaid with the golden frame is connected to the outside world. From here, people and vehicles passing by could be seen clearly, from head to toe, to the folds of clothes and facial expressions. The book bar stands in a fork of the road, like a guardian. Going to school, getting off work, doing grocery shopping… people living nearby use these roads to get to daily places. The roads have beautiful names, all starting with ‘Bai Hua’, which means hundreds of flowers, making this mature community become a fragrant and colorful neighborhood in Shenzhen.

I also like the sense of ritual in the space. The blue color with sunlight looks like a coffee shop on the street in Paris, as if one has all the beautiful things such as humanities, art and so on within reach. No matter how the weather is, the color is always delighting. The space is so close to the ideal life that it allows people to enjoy everything more poetically. In here, the common meat becomes rare, the lemon water in the glass seem to be more moisturizing in winter. Feelings are amplified, time is slowed down, as if life can be extended a little.

The deep green space continues to connect with the outside world，but also links to the old time. The character-shaped text installation is expressing something, but it is possible that nothing is expressed. The cabinet store the old message books, with various covers, shapes and colors, and all kinds of paper texture, which serve as not only the decoration, but also reflect the traces of time. The books record thousands of different writings. There are inner monologues and sincere wishes - those are real touchable pieces of memory. Open it and read all those messages, recalling how the world is used to be from the perspective from others. It feels like going back to the original point of time... Linking the present, the past and the future, it is the history that happens around us.

The red space on the opposite is filled with picture books and joy. Each corner could become a frame when looking through the sunlight.

La Vie Matériel is operated by my friend, Xiao Yu, in a long-term and in a dedicated way. It has held countless high-quality public lectures and exchange meetings. The design, materials, and labor are kindly offered by different parties. My design inspiration comes from the paintings of a good friend. Mr. Xu, Lei. Here, I remember the changes of world and all the emotions during this 18 years. Now they are all refurbished with the book bar. It is the place for me to share the old memories and enjoy the present joy with several good friends.