Artist Sami Hayek on harnessing the frequencies of objects: ‘You can tap into a whole different consciousness, working outside of logic’

Following an epiphany in Italy, the Mexican artist Sami Hayek quit business school to pursue a career in industrial design. In 2004, he founded his eponymous studio in Los Angeles, with a focus on creating furniture, sculpture and art installations that range from tableware to residential complexes. What they all have in common, he says, is that they use frequencies to evoke feelings in relation to the space they occupy and the materials they are made of, creating a profound connection between the works and their environment.

From 4 to 14 November 2024, Hayek is presenting Frequency at Christie’s in Dubai — an exhibition showcasing more than 20 unique pieces.

Among the objects travelling to the Middle East is a dining table constructed from aluminium and volcanic rock; the Collector’s Table display case, which is fashioned from exotic wood and Iceberg Blue marble; the Dubai Credenza, a work inspired by the flight of hummingbirds and covered in thousands of glass beads; and a series of spinning artworks in suede, ceramic and anodised aluminium. Some of these pieces are precision-machined, while others are delicately created by skilled hands over the course of hundreds of hours.

Ahead of the show’s opening, Hayek spoke to Christie’s about how his designs evolved.

When did you first start to work with frequencies?

SH: When I was 18, I enrolled at Pepperdine University in Malibu. It had a programme whereby you could study abroad for six months, and I chose to go to Florence.

Something very interesting happened to me there — I suddenly realised how cohesive cultures are: there’s a congruency in them. I started to think about how the Italian language mirrored the country’s art, design and fashion.

That’s when I first understood that objects have specific expressions and intentions — or frequencies. There are forces shaping behaviours and aesthetics, and morphing societies — changing how people feel, their thoughts, and even their health.

I decided to learn how to create objects that promote certain ideas, thoughts and wellbeing.

I went to night school to build up a portfolio and applied to the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena. The director of the programme said it was the worst portfolio she had ever seen! But she also said, ‘It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this type of thought process, and I can’t teach that. I’ll give you a shot.’ That’s where I then got my formal design training.

How do your designs affect emotions?

SH: Let’s start with colours. On a basic level, there is no denying that red feels different to blue. They have different temperatures, or frequencies, which evoke different emotions. These can then be manipulated with different lighting, changing how the colour is interpreted. Then you can play with materials, textures and proportions in order to get more nuanced outcomes. It’s like being a chef and picking the ingredients for a dish.

Looking at great artworks, you don’t always understand why they make you feel a certain way. Take Rothko — he blended pigment masterfully, and the end result is that it stirs emotion. It’s visual, but it affects the heart.

For this upcoming show, I’ve also incorporated solfeggio sounds, which are certain frequencies that promote growth and prosperity. Frequency 963 Hz, for example, is said to help with intuition and spiritual connection.

These sounds operate like Catholic chanting, or Buddhist mantras. If you vibrate the sounds into plates of sand, you get certain patterns, which I draw on.

Do you consider yourself an artist or a designer? Or is there fluidity between the two?

SH: I’m an artist, because I do consciously design pieces that tell a specific story and get imprinted with very focused intentions, and that to me is the definition of art.

However, I do make a lot of very functional things, so I am a designer as well. But if you go back to the Renaissance, it was normal to paint, sculpt and design simultaneously. We’re seeing that more and more these days.

The label doesn’t really matter, though. Ultimately, what’s important is the object, which will hopefully live way longer than me.

Is making these objects a spiritual experience for you?

SH: One hundred per cent. When you shut down your five senses and focus on one thing, your consciousness goes into your middle brain, leaving your frontal lobe, which is the reasoning part. Your middle brain processes frequencies, and you can tap into a whole different consciousness, working outside of logic.

If you solve things with reasoning, you’re limited to what you know. With this kind of focus, artists can access things outside their learned vocabulary.

Athletes do it, and Formula One drivers — their minds go somewhere else when they’re working. It’s like being a monk, too, deep in meditation, using chanting or rosaries to switch off your brain so it can connect to higher forces.

Where did the idea for your Collector’s Table come from?

SH: My wife [the jewellery designer Daniela Villegas] collects preserved insects, like butterflies and beetles, from a shop called Deyrolle in Paris. My kids and I are fascinated by them, but I wanted a better way to display them, so I designed the Collector’s Table.

It provides a platform for people to explore and to be curious. A lot of the time, people store their most precious things away in drawers, but this transforms them into a social place, where friends and family gather.

The edition I am presenting in Dubai contains a collection of glass candies made in Murano, but it can be tailored for any collection, to feature precious minerals or seashells, for example.

Are any of the works in the show created in response to Dubai?

SH: When I visited Dubai in May, I became inspired by the city’s ability to execute ideas. They think of something, then just do it. The speed at which the city operates reminds me of the frequency at which a hummingbird flaps its wings. And like a hummingbird, the city is small, but powerful and graceful.

The hundreds of hummingbird species also reflect Dubai’s variety. And as they’re found in the Americas, that mirrors my background.

On the front of the Dubai Credenza, which was made especially for the upcoming show, I created a pattern that charts the movement of a hummingbird’s wings in flight. The green colour scheme, made from tiny glass beads hand-laid by skilled artisans from small Mexican communities, is taken from the bird’s neck. But it can also be customised in any colourway for bespoke commissions.

The selling exhibition Sami Hayek: Frequency takes place from 4 to 14 November 2024 at Christie’s in Dubai, alongside the 10th edition of Dubai Design Week