Ko wai ahau? Who am I?Tēnā koe,
Nō te Whenua Wīwī ōku tīpuna. I tipu ake ahau ki Toulouse, engari, e noho ana ahau ki Te Whanganui-a-Tara ināianei. Hello, I am from France and grew up near Toulouse, then immigrated to Aotearoa/New Zealand in 2017. I now live in Te Whanganui-a-Tara / Wellington. |
Photo by Sarah Booher
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My story
People in my family have used their hands to craft things for generations:
On my grandmother’s side, her father worked with leather and crafted for his children beautiful satchels that everyone envied. His wife, my great-grandmother, was a clothes maker and taught my grandmother how to sew. My grandmother, from a very young age, also learnt how to knit, making garments for soldiers during World War 2. She went on to become incredibly skilled at it, and still knits to this day.
On my grandfather’s side, his own grand parents were both woodworkers who had met at school and this love for wood was passed on to my grandfather, and then my mother who re-discovered her love for wood in her early fifties
It is then no surprise that I was encouraged to be creative as a child. I remember trying all sorts of arts and crafts: painting, cross-stitching, bead weaving, and even played a little bit with clay.
Having learnt about my creative ancestors in my adult years, I feel incredibly grateful that those genes and opportunities were passed on to me.
During my school years, I was enrolled in science studies as it was deemed to be the path that would open most doors for me. Unfortunately, during my final years of high school, I realised that my brain was not wired for advanced sciences and that I had reached my limits in this domain. I decided that instead, I wanted to enroll in design studies which seemed like a perfect combination of logical and creative thinking.
While at university, it was during an internship that I discovered the world of ceramics. That year, I spent a few weeks with Stephanie Dastugue, a ceramicist based in Toulouse, specialising in slip casting and handbuilding. She generously taught me about this medium, and the life of a professional ceramicist. But above all, she opened my eyes to the joy of making useful objects with my own hands. I fell in love with clay then, and from that time, it became a constant in my life.
On my grandmother’s side, her father worked with leather and crafted for his children beautiful satchels that everyone envied. His wife, my great-grandmother, was a clothes maker and taught my grandmother how to sew. My grandmother, from a very young age, also learnt how to knit, making garments for soldiers during World War 2. She went on to become incredibly skilled at it, and still knits to this day.
On my grandfather’s side, his own grand parents were both woodworkers who had met at school and this love for wood was passed on to my grandfather, and then my mother who re-discovered her love for wood in her early fifties
It is then no surprise that I was encouraged to be creative as a child. I remember trying all sorts of arts and crafts: painting, cross-stitching, bead weaving, and even played a little bit with clay.
Having learnt about my creative ancestors in my adult years, I feel incredibly grateful that those genes and opportunities were passed on to me.
During my school years, I was enrolled in science studies as it was deemed to be the path that would open most doors for me. Unfortunately, during my final years of high school, I realised that my brain was not wired for advanced sciences and that I had reached my limits in this domain. I decided that instead, I wanted to enroll in design studies which seemed like a perfect combination of logical and creative thinking.
While at university, it was during an internship that I discovered the world of ceramics. That year, I spent a few weeks with Stephanie Dastugue, a ceramicist based in Toulouse, specialising in slip casting and handbuilding. She generously taught me about this medium, and the life of a professional ceramicist. But above all, she opened my eyes to the joy of making useful objects with my own hands. I fell in love with clay then, and from that time, it became a constant in my life.
Everywhere I lived, whether in France, Canada, Japan or Aotearoa New Zealand, I always found a pottery studio to practice at. While my learnings typically focused on throwing, I was lucky to spend some time learning hand building techniques in a small pottery studio in Shimokitazawa, suburb of Tokyo. I found it challenging, yet it felt like a door was opening for me. I enjoyed how time seemed to slow down, as I was slowly shaping the clay in my hands. I learnt to lean into organic and imperfect shapes, and revelled in the intimate connection with the clay.
While working with clay provided me with a space to ground myself and be creative, I started reflecting on the life cycle of the objects I produced. Having been inspired by slow-living principles and having embraced sustainability in my personal life for many years, I was wanting to fully align my ceramics practice with these important values of mine. This is when I made the conscious decision to only work in small series, purchase local clays whenever possible, and support local suppliers. I officially launched my business in 2020 and embraced slow hand-building techniques, in the hope that the objects I create will allow people who use them to find moments of connection and joy in their lives. But mostly, I hope it will make time slow down for them, like it does for me when I create these objects.
While working with clay provided me with a space to ground myself and be creative, I started reflecting on the life cycle of the objects I produced. Having been inspired by slow-living principles and having embraced sustainability in my personal life for many years, I was wanting to fully align my ceramics practice with these important values of mine. This is when I made the conscious decision to only work in small series, purchase local clays whenever possible, and support local suppliers. I officially launched my business in 2020 and embraced slow hand-building techniques, in the hope that the objects I create will allow people who use them to find moments of connection and joy in their lives. But mostly, I hope it will make time slow down for them, like it does for me when I create these objects.
People who have taught me and inspired me
I have been lucky to meet some amazing ceramists: Stéphanie Dastugue, Marie-Pierre Aubert of Marie Pot' and Sylvie Coquet of Feelings were the ones who taught me so much when I was new to ceramics. In Tokyo, I learnt from Oshi and Satomi Nakamura. In Wellington, I have been lucky to meet Karla-Marie from Karla-Marie Ceramics who so generously shares her knowledge with others and has built an amazing community of creative people.