Frédéric Mulatier

Basketweaver

©Patrice Niset

©Aurélien Lambert

Storytelling in wicker and clay

Frédéric mixes basketmaking and ceramics
Craft is his second career
His work is about storytelling

After a first career in IT, Frédéric Mulatier decided to change paths and turned to basketmaking, which he studied thoroughly before opening his own workshop. While this craft remains the backbone of his life, he discovered the artistic possibilities that came when mixing wicker with clay. The connection between the two materials is more than creative: he argues that both materials come from earth and are related in the use our ancestors made of them. His making-process requires both meticulous work, as he adapts his kiln to every single piece to make sure the wicker acclimatises to the cooking at 900°C, and a willingness to let his pieces live and develop as they are meant to if something unexpected happens. Each piece is unique, and has a story to tell.

Interview

©Patrick Leclerc

©Patrice Niset

How did you discover basketmaking?: It was a second chance. I wanted to change career path – I didn't think that it would be through a manual job. Basketry was a bit of an obvious choice, I am very attached to this craft of basketry and to those who taught me. It’s an infinite medium that hasn't been used much.
Do you have a stronger connection to wicker or to clay?: Basketry is really the backbone of my life. I could do basketry without clay, but not clay without basketry. I don't want to have a hierarchy between them, but it is a question of identity in my work, and the essence of my work is to marry the two.
How did you come to mix these two crafts?: I’ve wanted to mix materials for a long time. I learnt the clay on my own, I wanted to discover it myself. I thought of the first potteries that were born from basketry, and how one day by chance they realised that by drying the clay it became impermeable.
What is your creative process?: I rebuild my kiln around each piece. If I want the wicker to remain after firing, I have to organise it accordingly. I work a lot on storytelling, that's really what it's about, so If my pieces have suffered, it's like life. The goal is to tell what I want to tell through the piece.

Frédéric Mulatier is a master artisan: he began his career in 2007 and he started teaching in 2010