The 2010 – 2011 selection includes works by plastic artists, ceramic artists, designers, jewellers and textile creators – many of whom took part in the “Ultra Dentelles !” exhibition in Paris in 2010 put on by the professional group “Ateliers d’Art de France”. Likewise, several projects by students who took part in the fourth “Détournements de dentelles” competition organised by the French Federation of Lace and Embroidery will also be put on display. We are inviting the artist Jacques Declercq to design an installation from his openwork and cut-out paper creations and paper lace.
Armel Barraud: After learning the technique of bobbin lace in Vila do Conde, Portugal, Armel invented a fresh take on this genre by using metal threads to depict poetic plants, animals and figures in a widely spaced out ground of mesh. www.armelbarraud.com
Emmanuelle Bernat: “Chop a red cabbage in half and see how the contrast of colours brings out a network of lines in downstrokes and upstrokes. How can the decorative motif be turned into a bearing element? This is how I draw free inspiration from these twists to create sculpture-cum-interior decoration, ranging from a coffee table to wall lamps, table decoration to stools…” www.emmane.com
Sara Bran: A jewellery designer, Sara creates unique gold or silverware, adding openwork by hand based on the repiercing technique. In residence at the National Decorative Arts Museum in Lisbon since early 2009, she has been studying and listing the collections of hand-made lace in Portugal to identify the motifs that will then be “interpreted” on silver or gold. This programme defines the specific and technical nature of the new profession of lacemaker on gold. Sara is now also turning to French collections – particularly the machine lace of the International City of Lace and Fashion in Calais. www.sarabran.fr
Lise Cretiaux: “Metal embroidery”: fine aluminium sheets inserted in the tulle (Potencier Broderies) to create a motif and appearance inspired by the world of armour – evoking a certain “feminine strength”. 2nd price for fashion/textile in the 4th “détournement de matières 2010 : interprétations de dentelles et broderies pour de nouvelles applications” competition, organised by the French Federation of Lace and Embroidery.
Maria Danielova: She is the worthy heir of Czech artists who, from the 1930s onwards, were the only ones in Europe to work on reviving hand-made lace by seeking to introduce a touch of the contemporary in both the use of materials, colours, formats and volumes and the technique itself.
Jacques Declercq: “As an engraver, I worked metaphorically for a long time on the paper that I was making. This was soil, the beach, made from strata … ready to be moved and marked profoundly by my heavy actions that progressed in the horizontal direction of journeys on land and revealed the sensual need for touch at a time when the virtual reigns. Time has led me to produce the paper matter again and to lay light, translucent leaves… ready to release all the nuances of their texture to the light and stand suspended vertically… I open windows there as so many passages in the matter embodying the intangible and lending a thousand faces to the invisible for it to appear”.
Iris Delvalle: “Trumps”: a progressive claustra made from a remnant of Leavers lace (Solstiss) and white Plexiglas triangles that can be positioned at will. Work presented in the 4th “détournement de matières 2010 : interprétations de dentelles et broderies pour de nouvelles applications” competition, organised by the French Federation of Lace and Embroidery.
Nathalie Derouet: “She works by hand in keeping with tradition, creating and making unique, wholly modern pieces … reflecting the imagination and know-how of lace-makers. Their fine, understated lines recall the ceramic forms found in China or Japan – countries where the elegance and refinement of everyday objects unite modernity and tradition.” Extract from the book for a collective exhibition “Nathalie Dérouet – Annick Lécuyer – Maïté Tanguy” put on at the André Malraux Art Centre in Douarnenez from 17 October to 13 December 2009. www.nathaliederouet.com
Belinda Durrant: “In the pursuit of acceptance, the desire to be desirable, woman disguises and alters her shape and as she does so, the clothing instrumental in her disguise, becomes a metaphor for woman herself. Despite its often constricting discomfort and control, its detailed decorative perfection reflects somehow, the secret beauty of its wearer. It tempts, entices and promises the heart’s desires. Through these strange powers of persuasion the garment becomes itself entangled with, even the object of desire.” www.belindadurrant.co.uk
FELICITE L.: “I have always felt a special affinity in the object that I have naturally chosen as a mainspring of creation. I use all sorts of metal threads as well as multicoloured plastic-covered threads. From these trivial, filiform materials, I make a frame on which I weave and embroider until the smallest space on this imaginary canvas is filled and a rigid volume and more or less smooth matter is obtained in which contrasts of transparency and cast shadows intertwine. Each of my creations is a unique piece.” www.felicite-l.com
Tzuri Gueta: Tzuri Gueta, a textile designer, works with textiles, accessories and materials by steering them away from their usual purpose. Indeed, fabrics form a different image from a distance and change as you draw closer. He is inspired by nature and uses the new technologies he initiates. His work is highly structured, with a wild vegetation slant: a blend between the old and the new. www.tzurigueta.com
Pauline Huard: “V-Lover”: My technique – comical diversion – was to turn a trivial object (the life jacket) into a fashion accessory. This clothing reveals modern-day Dandies. Decked out in their reflective Leavers lace (Sophie Hallette), not only are they highly visible, to prevent an accident, but their elegance, finesse and refinement also catch the eye. Clothes to be revealed and stand out.” Work presented in the 4th “détournement de matières 2010 : interprétations de dentelles et broderies pour de nouvelles applications” competition, organised by the French Federation of Lace and Embroidery.
Katell Jullion: “Macrolimbe”, the felt veil has stemmed from my fascination with the structure of leaves: their modelled texture, the symmetrical or asymmetrical design of their veins, the stains and accidents of the leaf blade and even its disappearance altogether…”.
Anna Larvor: “Wicked Board”: “Synonymous with refinement and fragility, Leavers lace (Solstiss) meets the breaking of the waves and endeavours to tame the sea. Trapped in the resin, it casts new light on the design of surfboards, exploiting another side to surfing. Produced in partnership with Wicked Boards”. 1st prize for design in the 4th “détournement de matières 2010 : interprétations de dentelles et broderies pour de nouvelles applications” competition, organised by the French Federation of Lace and Embroidery.
Françoise Legrand: “I like using metal thread to provide volume or form. Here, the spaced weaving has an aerial air about it and the colours conjure up images of exotic birds.”
Bernard Mauffret: Bernard Mauffret’s furniture – refined in style – unites the two worlds of wood and architecture. He worked at Atelier du Meuble Contemporain in 1993 so as to assist in the architects’ and designers’ projects in the field of furniture creation. www.meublecontemporain.com
Françoise Micoud: “My work is very often on the subject of nature – but with a twist, reinterpreted through bobbin lace. It is only through this technique that I am able to create and recreate this nature. I like this contrast between the fragility of the lace and this cast iron monster (the Levers lace loom) which crushes it to enable it to live on in a different manner.” www.françoise-micoud.com
Anaïs Moussard: “Dentelle dans les flaques”: “This footwear combines the archetype of the wellington boot and Leavers lace (Sophie Hallette). The transparency gives rise to a "lace boot" enhancing its motifs while revealing what can be found inside the boot – thereby alluding to the possible colour matches depending on the clothes you are wearing.” 1st price in fashion/textile at the 4th “détournement de matières 2010 : interprétations de dentelles et broderies pour de nouvelles applications” competition, organised by the French Federation of Lace and Embroidery.
Pascal Oudet: “I love the effect that the sun, rain and frost can have on natural materials. All of these elements reveal and enhance the profound structure of materials – and this is a major source of inspiration for me. Creating with wood enables me to combine these visual and tactile impressions with a natural, warm material”. www.lavieenbois.com
Sandrine Pincemaille: Having trained as a heddle setter, Sandrine prefers working with discarded materials: plastic bags, glue or wrapping paper. For us, she has created a large wall panel in dried glue, a translucent lace imbued with poetry. Pagesperso-orange.fr/sandrine.pincemaille
Hélène Sempere: “Délicat’attitude”, a salvaged chair blending Leavers lace (Jean Bracq), cut into strips and woven on a weft, and PVC-coated polyester threads to strengthen the seat while maintaining finesse and suppleness. 2nd prize in design at the 4th “détournement de matières 2010 : interprétations de dentelles et broderies pour de nouvelles applications” competition, organised by the French Federation of Lace and Embroidery.
Aude Tahon: “By using knotted thread according to the traditional Korean technique called “maedup”, I can capture shadow and light, flat surfaces and depth, spaces and solids, thereby revealing the basic architecture of the textile object and endowing it with a floating, translucent and feathery appearance”. www.audetahon.typepad.com
Joep Verhoeven for Demakersvan: “Lace Fence fuses the art of hand-made lace with industrial fencing. By using traditional motifs and techniques of contemporary creation, the “Lace Fence” demonstrates that an object that starts out as purely functional can also become an object of decoration. In 2007, the firm Scandie published this motif on wallpaper”. www.demakersvan.com
