Juliette Rougier

Alto
Cane from Provence is a perennial plant endemic to the Mediterranean basin. Traditionally used to make canes, baskets, hats, canisse and calames, it is also the material of choice for wind instrument reeds.
Every day, manufacturers throw away hundreds of reeds with manufacturing defects or stains. I contacted the Marca factory in Ollioules, which has been making reeds since 1957, to collect their defective reeds for burning. I take these undesirables and work on them using the codes of marquetry.
The manufacture of the reed mouthpieces highlights the different aspects of the cane, with its shiny, curved surface and matt, porous core. By reintegrating these scraps into a new creative process, the notched and sun-burnished reeds are alternated, revealing a multitude of rhythmic patterns with graphic, contrasting lines.
This project is part of an exchange between the Mediterranean region and its history, between an obsolete material and a perpetuated craft, and a contemporary reinterpretation of traditional skills. With the first pieces in this collection, I’m exploring a new form of marquetry, at the crossroads between design, art and craft.