Paris-based artist Julien Vermeulen, one of the top feather artisans in France, has showcased his latest creation “Black Ocean”- a spectacular wall that is composed of 12,000 feathers. The eminent artist is praised for bringing feather-crafting into the 21st century through his use of conventional and modern-day techniques. SURFACES REPORTER (SR) presents below more about this masterpiece. Scroll down to read:
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In 2017, for the Espace Toguna (Toguna space) at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, Julien Vermeulen created the feather work Black Ocean, a 20 meter square wall (H 270 x W 740 cm) composed of more than 12,000 turkey feathers, each hand-cut, colored with Indian ink and then glued to the wall - all in just fifteen days, a thousand hours of work. A technical feat that was awarded the Bettencourt Prize for Hand Intelligence in 2018.
Art From A Feather- Careful Procedure
Talking about the procedure of creating art from feathers, Artist Vermeulen explains that the very first step is to let them pass through a steamer so that the feathers get wrinkle-free and restore volume. Soon after that, each feather is fastened onto its support, one by one by creating a metal thread or wire knots.
He always keeps with himself a special pair of tweezers with a tiny razor to ease and quicken up the task. Obviously creating art from feathers is a time-consuming task and requires great attention to every detail.
Spatial Installation
The project ‘Black Stone’ is large and took almost 1,000 hours to create. The artist used black turkey feathers and black goose feathers to cover the 20 square meters walls.
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The eye-catching wall created by the artist will be displayed at the Toguna art space within the Palais de Tokyo in Paris.
Julien Vermeulen first experimented with feathers seven years ago when he was working with a coat by Jean Paul Gaultier that was designed using feathers showcasing the motif of a leopard. This experience sparked him to do a one-year apprenticeship with a master feather worker before founding his firm. As time evolves, the artist is using avant-garde techniques such as laser-engraved feathers to create the unique art.
Source: http://maisonjulienvermeulen.com/
Photo Credit: Antoine Lippen (unless stated otherwise)
French Artist- Julien Vermeulen