Laurent Beyne

Deux Ailes

Glassblower

©Darkpix photographie

Using hands as wings

Laurent transforms glass into vibrant objects
He considers his hands to be his main tool
He has over 30 years of experience

“Designer? Sculptor? Glassmaker? Art craftsman? I still haven’t decided, and I don't think I will” says Laurent Beyne, in his unique way, full of poetry. Driven by his fascination with three materials – water, light and glass – Laurent creates luminaires and furniture of inimitable grace. Located in the Auvergne region, Deux Ailes develops its expertise on various techniques such as glass cutting process, bonding methods, using extremely sophisticated gestures and devices. For Laurent, his craft embodies a way of working, a way of thinking and a way of living. The pure harmony of his glass forms is loaded with meaning, choices and symbols of the vision that he stands for.

Interview

©Dominique Feintrenie

Have you developed your skills with a master?: I am totally self-taught. My work with glass and related materials is an extension of my inspirational vision of work, a kind of methodological evolution from textual work to work with matter and light. So, no master, but a very personal, very inner work.
How did you come to choose this career?: From the beginning I thought of this work as a kind of personal vehicle, with which I would move my poetic material. My vehicles are beauty, transparency, purity, harmony and grace.
Do you master any specific techniques?: The cutting of mineral materials – especially glass – is central to my work. I see the cutting techniques, as we practice them, as the latest evolution of Stone Age flint knapping. I am the current heir to these ancient masters.
What does well finished evoke for you?: I learnt young that this quest is infinite. Jacques Brel says: "to dream an impossible dream, to reach the unattainable star" – this is consciously my reality. To me, well finished means perfect and absolute grace. Every day I get up to approach this inaccessible thread.

Laurent Beyne is a master artisan: he began his career in 1986 and he started teaching in 1990