Wooden peaks and sculpted slopes
- Benoît and Manu combine organic forms with geometric lines in wood
- They emphasise texture, grain and natural imperfection of their materials
- Geography and territory greatly influence their works
Benoît Vauthier and Manu Lerendu hand carve sculptural landscapes into functional surfaces, and create distinctive furniture and tableware for the hospitality sector. The duo met in 2012, at the Institut Québécois d’Ébénisterie, a woodworking school in Canada. After early award-winning collaborations, they returned to France in 2015, and established their studio in the Vosges in 2021. "Material is at the heart of our woodwork. We celebrate natural textures and embrace marks left by our tools during the creative process," they explain. Benoît and Manu's approach brings together tradition and contemporary design, creating pieces that are both practical and deeply artistic.
Interview
- Does your work belong to any artistic movements?
- As we seek to put material at the centre of creation, we believe our work belongs to a 'matiérisme' current. We leave tool marks visible, and embrace roughness, porosity and the natural textures of wood, stone and glass. It is a kind of return to the sensory, a true shift after decades of industrial design.
- What connection exists between your craft and territory?
- We are deeply attached to the Alps, which are a huge source for our inspiration. We sculpt mountain reliefs, but what truly interests us is the question of spaces, lands, their divisions and their borders. We think a lot about how territories are organised, inhabited and traversed, both physically and symbolically.
- Is woodworking endangered?
- Yes. There is a lack of recognition for artistic works and realities of our practices. Woodworking is also threatened by the dispossession we experience on social media, where our works can be copied or misused, or by the emergence of certain tools, such as artificial intelligence, which blur the lines between creation and reproduction.
- What challenges lie ahead for your craft?
- The main challenge for the future is avoiding easy routes, by continuing to innovate with sincerity. Rather than being swept away by trends and technological tools, we must preserve the authenticity and richness of the human imagination, which is what gives substance to our work.
Benoît Vauthier & Manu Lerendu are expert artisans: they began their career in 2012
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Benoît Vauthier & Manu Lerendu
