“We understand the each nest as a living organism that includes the people, the places and the things that inhabit it as well as the daily rituals of its maintenance in a specific context. In this sense, the domestic space is not a static and inert thing. It is the place where life happens, where a lot of effort and work must occur in order to reenact life day after day.” — Manuel and Isabelle
Over the last 20 years, Manuel and Isabelle Der Hagopian have lived between Singapore, Vietnam, and Switzerland. The couple have built various dwellings in each location to house their lives and redefine their domesticity as a fundamental need. Each ‘nest’ arises from intimate conversations between them and the spaces, giving birth to meticulously crafted spaces and lovingly curated interiors echoing with the spirit of the local culture.
In a dialogue between regional influences and their own tastes, seamlessly integrated with Modernist spatiality, the dwellings reflect the pairs voracious curiosity for the spirit of the places they live in. They strip architecture to its most elemental to reveal its raw emotions hidden within, questioning contemporary standards of domesticity and comfort, bringing to life an intimate relationship with each setting and infusing the space a unique sense of belonging. Each is also filled with possessions, including found objects and antique furniture collected from years of travelling, transforming these abodes into biographies of the couple’s lives.
Nests features six of these dwellings—Seng Poh, TB80, Bi Khi Ni, Thi Sach, Beaumont and Diablay De—as seen through the lens of Khoo Guo Jie. The photographer’s images of the life and love that imbue these spaces are curated into booklets that are designed to express the unique character and materiality of each nest. Together, they weave a voyage across different habitats and offer an introspective journey back home, in all the senses.
➜ Read the essays and view the homes in Nests: An Ode to Domesticity
