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It is within our foundry that the savoir-faire of maison Forest Audiard expresses its full virtuosity. In this uproar where sparks fly, we cultivate a lineage of excellence upholding the age-old techniques, meticulous crafting, and creative skill distinctive of artistic handiwork. Here, excellence serves perfection.
Rochecorbon, Centre-Val de Loire. When you step into our foundry, you enter into a commotion where your senses are assailed by the odours of warm wax, the clinking of the crucible and chisel, and the intense heat of molten metal. The atmosphere of this extraordinary place is disconcerting, like that of a gathering of the Greek gods here among the vines in the Valley of the Kings.
As at the forge of Hephaestus, the muses inspire Michel Audiard, while hissing compressors set the pace for his nimble hands. Among blowtorch flames, carving tools, pneumatic machines, prepared moulds, and wax residue, the foundry is an animated place that still manages to maintain a certain serenity. This is the forge of time, where it is possible for anything to take shape.
The most eagerly-awaited moment is when the metal becomes molten, at 1,100°C, and when our artisan pours it into the mould. More liquid than water, livelier than a flame, molten bronze perfectly nestles against every contour of any shape. What better substance to reveal the individuality of a handprint?
Glancing into the various shops of the foundry, you’ll catch a glimpse of works – large and small – in the works. But the spectacle truly begins when the artisan seizes the object. This is the hand to watch, the eye to follow. That all-seeing eye observes, discerns, determines. The hand perfectly shapes, chisels, and refines.
To achieve this symbiosis of hand and eye takes time, experience, and endless passion.
Crafting each Forest Audiard “objet-à-vivre” is a technical and artistic achievement that requires more than 15 operations and no fewer than 10 to 12 weeks of work.
A skilfully orchestrated symphony of sketching, modelling, moulding, casting, sculpting, polishing and finishing. A step-by-step series that moves forward to the pace set by the finest materials.
For Forest Audiard, life is an adventure to write day after day. Everyday life – a place of discovery – provides infinite inspiration. Our creativity is inspired by coincidences, anecdotes, details, discussions. We take hold of the impulsiveness of ideas and the suddenness of desires.
Through the use of the age-old technique of lost wax casting to craft a unique everyday object shaped in the image of your imprint, maison Forest Audiard demonstrates storytelling of a new genre. We invite you to take a hand in writing this unique story, which would not even exist without your hand.
This is a special magic that can only occur when the artist’s hand encounters your own. Our “savoir-faire” then takes hold to capture its soul and seize a fleeting impression that is destined to become an eternal sculpture.
Each Forest Audiard object is a bespoke creation in the shape of your imprint.
« The reason that I believe I am so moved by this creation, which arose from a chance encounter, is that it truly combines everything that has shaped my life as an artist: indigenous and modern art, abstract and figurative art, the artist's impulsiveness in the creative act and the meticulous teamwork required for its execution. Ultimately, the Ouvre-Vin is consecrated to the underlying substance of sculpture: the sense of touch. For a sculptor, the recognition of an absolute masterpiece in sculpture might best be appreciated with the eyes closed. »
Michel Audiard
