Atelier Polyhedre

Just before christmas, one of the masters students saw my work and mentioned 'Atelier Polyhedre' to me, saying it was a ceramic studio in Nantes and I should keep an eye out for their stuff. I was so busy with work I didn't have time to check it out, but when I finished my assesments I emailed them and asked to pay a visit to their studio. The two guys- Vincent et Baptiste- were really friendly and took time out from a piece they had been commisioned to do to show me around their studio. They show at a some of the major design shows, like 'maison et objet' and '100% design' as well as selling through small boutiques and galleries. The thing I found the more interesting about their work is that it is a mixture of creative design and non functional, more conceptual pieces. It's rare that you find artists who work between the two areas, and their work isn't like anything I've really seen before, especially not in Nantes.
 They work principally with moulds and earthenware, though they do use porcelain aswell. The glazes are all very simple- barring the gold plate and enhance the shape of the work. It's interesting how their work varies from very austere, simple shapes to florid pieces taking on an almost encrusted feel. The moulds are very complex and they have a huge collection, it makes me want to learn more about that process! They have some really clever ideas, like the plates where the design on the edge has been made with a fork, or the 100 mugs (they are trying to make 100 mugs with different designs) The studio is really handy, it's small but very well arranged and it's in a block of studios with other artists, so they have a nice community there. The only problem they have is that it's two stories up so moving materials can be a pain. It was so nice of them to take the time out to explain to me how they work and run their studio. The website is http://polyhedre.pagesperso-orange.fr/index.html