Camille Jacquemin

Metal sculptor

Mixing metals in a dream-like world

Camille twice won the title of Best French Apprentice
She experiments with combining metals with Murano glass and wood
She makes her own tools as they cannot be bought in a shop

Attracted to the art of metalwork, Camille Jacquemin attended ENSAAMA in Paris because it was the only school with a contemporary approach to the study of metals. Here she discovered a wide range of techniques, all of which opened up new creative possibilities for her. She went on to learn raising and silversmithing as well as English and Japanese techniques. One particular method she learnt was keum-boo, an ancient gilding technique used to apply a thin foil of gold to silver, creating a melding of the two metals without soldering. Taking a traditional approach to her work, Camille prefers to sculpt by hand. Innovation is found in her ideas, the mix of materials and her forms.

Interview

Of all the objects you make, which do you like best?: Making jewellery. I prefer the minuteness of working on small-scale pieces and not having to work with big machines, as I have already hurt myself before with those. I like the precision and detail that goes into creating smaller pieces.
How do you decide which metal to use?: It depends on the object and its use, but it’s driven by technique. For example, copper is malleable and easier to shape but it can also be deformed, so I prefer to use brass or silver because they stay in place.
Why does your inspiration come primarily from nature?: When I’m at the seaside I’ll pick up sea urchin shells, and they inspire me to make earrings. When I find feathers or bones, I think about what I might create. There are magnificent forms to be found everywhere in nature and I try to transform them into something dream-like.
What do you think of the next generation of artisans?: They have creative ideas and are more relaxed about technique. I’m not worried about them, I’m more worried that in 50 years traditional techniques may get lost. Some techniques can only ever be done by hand and are irreplaceable.

Camille Jacquemin is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2008