The “Who Are You?” collective at De Main de Maître

Every spring, the French Confederation of Excellence and Luxury Crafts organizes the De Main de Maître exhibition, a special event showcasing exceptional craftsmanship.

This year, the collective *Qui es-tu?* took part in the event. Founded around Muriel Pénicaud’s iconic photograph *Qui es-tu, toi qui regardes? *, the collective offered an artistic reinterpretation through eight unique interpretations: eight artisans engaged in a dialogue with this image, each through their own materials, techniques, and expertise. From this collaboration emerged eight original works, in which individual sensibilities nourish a shared creative vision.

It was on this occasion that the collective introduced three of its new members for the first time: Marie Archambaud, specializing in metal embroidery; Marie Drouet, specializing in basketry; and Sébastien Real, a visual artist, bringing the total number of works on display to eleven.

Works by the collective's new members

Marie ARCHAMBAUD

Ornys

Muriel Pénicaud’s work evokes a back covered in feathers, a presence that is both intimate and elusive. 

With Ornys, this intuition takes shape and unfolds like a cape one slips on, much like a precious coat of feathers. The feathers, crafted from silver-toned metal, form a gradient in which the material—usually dense—becomes ethereal. The further the eye travels downward, the more the forms open up and become openwork, revealing the void like a breath. 

Metal becomes as light as a feather; rigidity gives way to lightness. 

Ornys is a delicate, almost living piece of jewelry that extends the mystery of the image and invites a silent transformation

Marie DROUET

Flying Willow

“Flying Willow” captures the precise moment when the bird leans forward to take flight. Its structure, crafted from stripped white wicker, creates a light, organic silhouette that seems almost ethereal. 

"Le plumage" is a play on illusions: the white porcelain leaves created by ceramicist Stéphanie Aimard Camus and the leather leaves by Adapta-Paris blend seamlessly together. While the porcelain evokes a mineral-like fragility, the leather brings the suppleness of the living, coming to life at the slightest breeze.

This duality of materials, both carved from willow bark, celebrates a newfound freedom and a deep commitment to circular design that respects all living things.

Sébastien REAL

Soaring Emotions

In this image, there is an almost instinctive desire to see it take flight, spread its wings, and cut through the air. Witnessing a bird take flight remains a rare experience, a moment suspended in time when anything seems possible. As we gaze at this motionless bird, a strange sensation washes over us—a blend of solitude and contemplation. It is as if the bird were silently inviting us to look within ourselves.

With his back turned to us, he opens up an inner space. He whispers to us that there is a more intimate journey: to fly within oneself and move forward despite our doubts.

In this stillness lies the promise of a new beginning, the call of new horizons, other lives to touch, and dreams to embrace fully.

The bird then becomes a symbol—one of a fulfillment still in the making, carried by winds that guide us without our seeing them. Over time, these winds shape our paths, urging us to push beyond our own limits, to open ourselves up to the world as well as to ourselves.

In this single, frozen moment, a truth emerges: every flight begins with silence, a breath, a gaze turned toward the unknown. And perhaps that is where its beauty lies. Take flight, my heart.

From left to right: Stéphanie Trolez, Alyssa Jos, Antoine Dariule, Pierre Letz, Muriel Pénicaud, Marie Archambaud, Véronique Boyens, Jérôme Blin, Daniel Martin, Sébastien Real.

Practical information:

📍 Location: Bastille Design Center, 74 boulevard Richard Lenoir, Paris 11ᵉ

🕙 Opening hours:

Friday, April 10 to Saturday, April 11: 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Sunday, April 12: 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Free admission