POINT DE VUE DESIGN #3

In partnership with the Chambre de Métiers et de l’Artisanat (CMA) Hauts-de-France

17 May 2025 – 4 January 2026
Opening: 8 November 2025 (guided tour at 3:30 p.m., opening at 5:00 p.m.)

This exhibition follows a proposal by Max Vandermarlière, member of the Chambre de Métiers et de l’Artisanat(CMA) Hauts-de-France and the Board of Directors of the Frac Grand Large, with the ambition of showcasing a selection of regional artisans through a dialogue between their creations and the design pieces from the Frac’s collection. The works on display are sometimes the result of a merging of skills, blending craft and industry, traditional and innovative techniques.

The preservation of traditional know-how is reflected not only in portraits of the artisans but also in emblematic pieces such as the table on loan from the L’Art du Cannage workshop. This piece illustrates the specific “sun caning” technique, where the central wooden medallion is held in place solely by cane-thread weaving around it. Introduced by the English in the 19th century, this expertise is no longer officially taught in France. For the creation of Pink Stool(2015), Aldo Bakker uses an ancestral technique — Urushi natural vegetable lacquer, extracted from a specific tree. Artisans train with master craftsmen, and it takes around ten years of apprenticeship to grasp all the complexities and refinements of this lacquer art.

The fab. project was born from the collaboration between designer matali crasset and gallery owner Nadine Gandy in the Czech Republic. It aims to perpetuate local know-how in glass, wax, and soap — respectively glassfab., waxfab., and soapfab. Each invited creator was given a thematic brief as a starting point, while enjoying great freedom of interpretation. The resulting creations, at the crossroads of art and functional objects, blend innovation and tradition to restore meaning and beauty to manufactured goods, such as the watering can Flowershower (2003) by matali crasset.

Several pieces in the exhibition stem from the alliance of different skills. For example, Laurence Mieg of L’Art du Cannage collaborated with ceramist Françoise Bergaglia to create a partition screen (claustra). She also worked with feather artist (plumassière) Béatrice Bost-Le Mouël to make a lamp in a four-handed collaboration. Meanwhile, Alexandre Labruyère teamed up with ceramist Aude Bray-Deperne to design a side table combining different states of stoneware and ash wood. The Vandermarlière Marbleworks contributed its expertise to crown the Roseaux table with a Soignies stone top.

According to Hella Jongerius, creation is not limited to a simple functional or aesthetic response; it must also convey meaning and establish an emotional bond with the user. Combining new technologies and handmade craft, the designer aims to create objects that are endearing — pieces their owners will want to pass on to future generations. Certain imperfections give a precious uniqueness that strengthens this emotional link. For her series Soft Urn (1994–2004), she chose to preserve the irregularities left by the molds on the vases, so that these mass-produced pieces would regain a unique and authentic character.

This desire for uniqueness — whether born from the action or non-action of the hand — is also found among certain creators who even imagine involving the object’s owner beyond simply placing it in an interior. Such is the case with twin brothers Gilles and Vincent Turin, graphic designers who collaborated with the group RADI Designers to create Wall Invaders (2002). This kit allows the user to create a DIY wall surface. Sheets of paper become the medium for a playful and creative act: using the provided gun, the user fires three darts with different patterns after dipping the rubber tip in ink. The placement of the printed motifs depends entirely on the precision of the gesture, with no constraint on number or position. This free approach recalls the artisanal origins of wallpaper, whose first decorations were made by hand, making each composition unique.

This principle of active user participation is also found in the work of Tord Boontje, notably with Wednesday Light(2001), a lampshade consisting of a sheet of metal pierced with plant motifs, which wraps around a light bulb. Upon purchase, it is up to the user to assemble the elements randomly around a conical frame. Evoking the first rays of sunlight filtering through lush vegetation, each arrangement is a unique creation.

A common thread unites several designers presented here — Aldo Bakker, Tord Boontje, Hella Jongerius, Joris Laarman, Guillaume Vandermarlière: a connection to the Design Academy Eindhoven (DAE) in the Netherlands, whether as students or as teachers. Yet the diversity of forms on display is proof of the variety of creative paths that this school makes possible.

During his training, Joris Laarman questioned the traditional opposition between functionality and ornament. He sought to design objects that were both useful and visually rich, breaking away from the minimalism promoted by certain design movements. In this spirit, at the end of his studies, he designed an extraordinary radiator, the Heat Wave(2003). This piece takes advantage of available wall space: the larger the surface, the more efficient the radiator. Inspired by the rococo style, Laarman exploited decorative curves that spread across flat walls or extend into the corners of a room, as seen in this prototype.

For his part, Aldo Bakker — son of designer Gijs Bakker, co-founder of Droog Design — takes a sensory approach to design in which functionality often comes second, sometimes even leaving it up to the user to decide. This freedom of interpretation and use is evident in the sculptural stool Pink Stool (2015).

This display demonstrates that the use of contemporary techniques in no way excludes the heritage of traditional know-how. In each discipline, the highest technical quality of execution is applied, reminding us that the object — a vehicle of emotion — is above all created for the people who use it.

With works by Aldo BAKKER, Tord BOONTJE, matali crasset, Hella JONGERIUS, Joris LAARMAN, RADI Designers, Gilles TURIN, Vincent TURIN, THONET, Laurence MIEG (L’Art du Cannage), Françoise BERGAGLIA (atelier INTERRACOTTA), Béatrice BOST-LE MOUËL (atelier PLUMAVERA), Alexandre LABRUYÈRE, Aude BRAY-DEPERNE, Guillaume VANDERMARLIÈRE.