New York's Apparatus Studio Unveils Act V: Afsaneh, Its First Collection in Five Years

New York design studio Apparatus has released Act V: Afsaneh, its first full collection since 2021. Rooted in Persian mythology, the new work spans blown-glass lighting, furniture, objects and an incense made for the collection. Every piece can be viewed on the studio's website.

"Afsaneh" is the Persian word for fable. In a letter to readers on the collection page, Apparatus founder Gabriel notes that it is also his mother's name. He describes working in a new way for this collection, shaping curves over and over with a pen until forms emerged as though they had always been there.

Cycles give the collection its rhythm: creation and destruction, separation from self and the return, the seed becoming the flower and the fleeting gift of its scent. At the center sits the divine feminine, staged in a temple in the sky and expressed through the distilled movement language of Martha Graham, often called the mother of modern dance.

The custom incense is scented with Damask Rose, Oud and Frankincense, offered as a gesture of protection and potential. For a studio best known for lighting, building scent into the story is a notable step.

The collection can be browsed and ordered at apparatusstudio.com. The site notes that all sales are final, with no cancellations, refunds, returns or exchanges.