Materials
16 October 2023
An interpretation conceived by Emma François, founder and artistic director of Sessùn.
At a time when the art of craftsmanship is experiencing a revival, creatives are dedicated to unveiling the ancestral qualities of wood. Weathered barks and chipped shavings, bent and turned wood, hollowed with gouges… Sculpted and carved with passion, the material tells new workshop stories.
Among those who carve stories into wood, there are Benjamin Fély, Laura Greindl, and OROS, who create primitive functional objects. Max Lamb and Martin Massé fashion totemic seating of a different kind, and Eloi Schultz and Léa Laborie imagine decorative pieces with mysterious shapes. Abandoning artifice in favor of raw and primitive poetry, they return to their roots, presenting artisanal design that straddles the line between the archaic and the contemporary.
This renewal will resonate during Design Week in the ‘Creative Blossom’ exhibition by Sessùn, marking a new milestone in their commitment and demonstrating their determination to support artisanal design through this flagship event, as well as the Sessùn Craft Prize launched this year. The woody inspirations and creative encounters of Emma François, the brand’s creator, are condensed into this moodboard.
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Occupation
CABINETMAKER
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Poetry
RAW
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Effect
ARCHAIC
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House
CABIN
The ‘Creative Blossom’ Exhibition
From September 7 to 16, during Paris Design Week, Sessùn will present ‘Creative Blossom,’ the continuation of its traveling exhibition showcasing materials and craftsmanship. After stops in Marseille and Barcelona, it’s now the turn of the Paris boutique on Rue de Charonne to host this carte blanche initiative, which was initiated in 2022 by Emma François.
Eleven works created by artists working with wood and ceramics (Atelier 365, Lisa Allegra, Léa Bigot, Benjamin Fély, Marion Graux, Léa Laborie, Julie Boucherat, OROS, Emmanuelle Roule, Eloi Schultz, and Tom and Folks) will narrate an intimate and sacred aspect of workshop craftsmanship.
‘Creative Blossom’ Exhibition at Sessùn, 34 rue de Charonne, 75011 Paris
Léa Laborie, ‘Creative Blossom’ Exhibition at Sessùn
Mysterious Symbols & Ode to the Unique Piece
Exhibition ‘Big Woods,’ Aaron Poritz, Cristina Grajales Gallery, New York © Nicole Franzen
A fascination with totemic seating
Exhibition ‘Tellurico: ‘modernissimo,’ Spazio Leone Gallery, London © Geneviève Lutkin
A true obsession among sculptors in the first half of the 20th century, such as Brâncuși and Noguchi, totems are once again the subject of adoration among contemporary woodworkers, especially in the realm of seating. Enhanced by unique forms and volumes, they are transformed into sacred furniture. Enigmatic pieces to behold.
Stelae Chair and Constelaciones Table, Agnes Studio
Raw Wood
Primitive and Neo-Cabin Interiors
At Emily Adams Bode and Aaron Aujla’s Place © Victoria Hely-Hutchinson
A primitiveness that is evident in the latest interiors designed like cabins in the woods by interior architects. Conceived around natural materials with a strong sense of rawness, they once again celebrate craftsmanship and handiwork.
At Emily Adams Bode and Aaron Aujla's Place © Victoria Hely-Hutchinson
At Emily Adams Bode and Aaron Aujla's Place © Victoria Hely-Hutchinson
At Emily Adams Bode and Aaron Aujla’s Place © Victoria Hely-Hutchinson
Interior by Minjae Kim © Clément Pascal and Danielle Alprin
Sessùn boutiques enhance the beauty of wood.
A penchant for brutalism also resonates in the retail sector. Emma François’s love for craftsmanship and uniqueness permeates the Sessùn boutiques, the latest of which are designed by Aurélie Rimbert and Gabriel Escámez (Cobalto Studio). These aesthetes use wood to reinvent the shopping experience. In this vein, each of the 42 Sessùn flagships combines worldwide craftsmanship with the promotion of local cultural heritage and highlights the work of skilled artisans. A creative and sensory journey through shapes and textures…
Sessùn Charonne Boutique in Paris © Victoria E. Paternó
Functional Archaic Objects
At Sessùn Alma, the ‘select store’ in Marseille where you can enjoy a good meal, meet up, take the time to read, and have a coffee chat, the functional objects (spoons, lighting fixtures, salt and pepper shakers) with primitive and organic shapes by Benjamin Fély, Léa Laborie, and Laura Greindl bear witness to this artisanal revival.
An interpretation conceived by Emma François, founder and artistic director of Sessùn, as part of the ‘Creative Blossom’ exhibition to be discovered on September 7th at 34 Rue de Charonne in Paris.
