The editorial team's five favoritesAcumen
The Émergences Biennale makes its grand return to Pantin, within the walls of the National Dance Center, to celebrate contemporary creation. A must-see event for all design lovers. Before the event opens its doors, Acumen has identified five talents that you absolutely must discover, from April 10 to 13.
Jean-Baptiste Durand, from clay to F1
“Classic”: that’s how Jean-Baptiste Durand describes his early career. After studying at the Beaux-Arts in Saint-Étienne, the aspiring designer joined Mathieu Lehanneur, the man behind the last Olympic torch. An experience in the luxury sector and a Rado Star Prize later, Jean-Baptiste Durand was at a point of questioning his path. “I realized that the life I was seeking as a freelance, media-savvy designer was a mirage, and wasn’t leading me down the path to the life I wanted. I longed for a calmer, happier life. I left Paris and moved to Le Havre. With my girlfriend at the time, I opened a ceramics workshop. We made simple things there, but despite everything, I felt that this kind of creative spark was still there, dormant. After we broke up, I kept my part of the workshop, but no one was interested in my work.” In a final effort, the designer participated in Paris Design Week in 2023 where he presented a series of experimental vases. « During the four days of Design Week, I made the same amount of revenue I used to make in six months in Le Havre, so I thought I might continue. He followed this with the Collectible fair in Brussels, where he presented a chair, the Spring Chair. He evokes his childhood love, Formula 1, with vibrant colors, cables, and springs. A unique aesthetic conjuring the imagery of the machine, which will be on display in Pantin, notably with the strange column or totem. Voices in my head, where earthenware and electronic components are mixed together.
Lucas Zito Studio, plastic sculptures
A 2019 graduate of the venerable Design Academy Eindhoven, Lucas Zito imagines « a project focused on recycling cigarette butts through 3D printing »But this one falls through: "The Covid epidemic arrived at that time and it was very complicated to have a project that was centered around things that people put in their mouths. » Though his initial idea was cut short, his creative process continued down the path of 3D printing itself. This is how modular lighting fixtures came to be. BUOY, Made from locally recycled plastic granules or sourced from French supply chains, these highly sculptural lamps come in a transparent white or coffee-colored finish. Their silhouettes can be arranged to your heart's content.
Lou Motin, memories of the IPCC
Lou Motin likes to explore the question of future transmission, archaeology, and fragments. « of what remains of our contemporary period ». After initial training in set design at ENSAAMA-Olivier de Serres, the artist shifted to the world of art foundry work before embracing stone carving. He uses reclaimed stones, "essentially pieces of wall", around his workshop, "a former industrial stone factory that was abandoned in the 1950s." These elements become the basis for a truly unique work. « This series is called Fragments of the IPCC. This is a project I've been working on for over two years now, which consists of transcribing the latest IPCC report, but into binary code. [continuation of 0s and 1s], computer code » the artist explains. Added to this computer language are diagrams from the famous report, the meaning of which is lost: « Everything becomes completely abstract. » Created by hand, using punches and chisels, Lou Motin's pieces, presented at the Biennale, summarize 2 of the 180 pages of the semi-abridged English version. Her goal? To transcribe it in its entirety.
Théo Charasse, designer and manufacturer
A Parisian who studied at the ESAD in Reims, Théo Charasse describes himself as a jack-of-all-trades. This includes design, but "not necessarily industrial," he clarifies. He also hesitates between this and the term "manufacturer." : “I’m still discovering what suits me best, actually. I'm testing quite a few things at the moment, in order to appreciate the limits of what can be done oneself through prototypes. Among its first tests, At hand, a graduation project through which he went "to observe amateur techniques, but also vernacular manufacturing techniques." He specifies : "I had also drawn up a list of materials that I consider non-approved, things that are not valued in the field of design, that are even blacklisted. » Among the materials in question is particleboard, "who is always hidden under a tackle" ». The young man is also interested in glass bottles, which he uses to make light fixtures and shelves that can be seen at the Pantin Biennale. “I became interested in glass bottles, which I often found among DIY enthusiasts. This material is noble, but not necessarily easy to work with. So, I decided to try repurposing this industrial object by cutting it and removing the neck and base. What remains is a cylinder, almost neutral, with virtually no trace of its industrial origins.” » A repurposing that results in pieces full of transparency and warm tones.
Alice Trescarte, Brutalist ceramicist
Artistic director Alice Trescarte is also a ceramist. "Initially, it was really a personal pleasure, then ceramics became an obsession." » she explains. An obsession that translates into the creation of boxes and other deceptively mundane objects. Their appearance is raw, brutal, and profoundly organic. She describes them as sculptures. An aesthetic grammar that the designer has then transcribed into seats and stools. « They remind us of Wooden stools, tripod type, very rustic. I was inspired by this object because my technique, which is actually a cutting technique from a block of clay, earth, really reminded me of this object. » Thanks to a skillful blend of minerals, his creations appear to be extracted from a mass of stone. « My working method is more akin to sculpture, because I start with a block, removing the superfluous parts, much like a stone sculptor. I also make extensive reference to the forms of rocks or groups of stones. I use a lot of stone in the making of my glazes, as well as ashes I collect from fireplaces and stoves, and schist from Lozère, the village where I grew up, not far from a river.
Emerging Talents Biennial
National Dance Center
1, rue Victor-Hugo, Pantin
From 10 to 13 April, 2025
