Portraits by Alain Cavalier - La matelassière
Each portrait of this series consists of an interview between Alain Cavalier and a woman working in a rare or disappearing profession. At their place of work, they talk about their craft and the techniques they use, their training and their history, their tastes and their daily lives. These intimate documentary portraits reveal astonishing personalities and surprising work environments.
| Director | Alain Cavalier |
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There is a world where objects, both utilitarian and decorative (often both), emerge from patient, laborious, and detailed handiwork. Outside the context of industrial production, these objects are the product of human labour, meticulous craftsmanship, and a tradition spanning several generations. Alain Cavalier's patient and detailed camerawork on endangered artisanal practices, captures this world with a particular emotion. We encounter women like Aline Bouvrais, a quilter since the age of 13 at Quai des Célestins, fascinating passersby who stop in amazement to watch her work.
Five years earlier, Alain Cavalier had stumbled upon this scene himself: Aline working in her neon-lit workshop as night falls. "I wanted to film you." Following this cavalier intuition, Alain observes Aline, comments, and questions. Carrying the memory of her practice in her body and in her fingers marked by labour, the quilter continues to smile, threading the gestures with the skill of a magician.
We can rejoice that this world has not yet completely disappeared, as we see the return to artisanal practices blurring the line between art and utility, and making a welcome mockery of the increasingly aggressive practices of globalized capitalism. Will we one day be able to combine the beauty of craftsmanship with dignified working conditions and a recognized status? In the meantime, encouraging craftsmanship connects us to a chain of knowledge, reinscribing us into the most stirring aspects of human evolution.
Naomie Décarie-Daigneault
Tënk's Artistic Director
-
French
12 mn
Language: Français -
English
12 mn
Language: English
Subtitles: English
- Année 1987
- Pays France
- Durée 12
- Producteur Camera One
- Langue French
- Sous-titres English
- Résumé court Mrs Bouveret, a mattress-maker, has been making mattresses by hand for fifty years. While filming her at work, the director asks her about her family and her life.
There is a world where objects, both utilitarian and decorative (often both), emerge from patient, laborious, and detailed handiwork. Outside the context of industrial production, these objects are the product of human labour, meticulous craftsmanship, and a tradition spanning several generations. Alain Cavalier's patient and detailed camerawork on endangered artisanal practices, captures this world with a particular emotion. We encounter women like Aline Bouvrais, a quilter since the age of 13 at Quai des Célestins, fascinating passersby who stop in amazement to watch her work.
Five years earlier, Alain Cavalier had stumbled upon this scene himself: Aline working in her neon-lit workshop as night falls. "I wanted to film you." Following this cavalier intuition, Alain observes Aline, comments, and questions. Carrying the memory of her practice in her body and in her fingers marked by labour, the quilter continues to smile, threading the gestures with the skill of a magician.
We can rejoice that this world has not yet completely disappeared, as we see the return to artisanal practices blurring the line between art and utility, and making a welcome mockery of the increasingly aggressive practices of globalized capitalism. Will we one day be able to combine the beauty of craftsmanship with dignified working conditions and a recognized status? In the meantime, encouraging craftsmanship connects us to a chain of knowledge, reinscribing us into the most stirring aspects of human evolution.
Naomie Décarie-Daigneault
Tënk's Artistic Director
-
French
Duration: 12 minutesLanguage: Français12 mn -
English
Duration: 12 minutesLanguage: English
Subtitles: English12 mn
- Année 1987
- Pays France
- Durée 12
- Producteur Camera One
- Langue French
- Sous-titres English
- Résumé court Mrs Bouveret, a mattress-maker, has been making mattresses by hand for fifty years. While filming her at work, the director asks her about her family and her life.
