Valérie Tanfin
Featherworker
Léguevin, France
Magic feathers
- Valérie brings the feather into a modern dimension
- She worked for the Moulin Rouge and Maison Lemarié
- She gives regular featherwork courses and workshops
Valérie Tanfin is a master featherworker who draws from her experience working in haute couture and performing arts. The juxtaposition of these two worlds allowed her to acquire a unique and broad savoir-faire. From the lightness and delicacy of a feather, to its movement and volume, Valérie’s work is a constant quest for pure refinement. Light holds a particular place in her creations, she likes to play with it to reveal the nuances in each feather. Whether for interior decoration projects, adornment accessories or works of art, Valérie’s feathers unfold gracefully and highlight the poetry of this natural material. Besides her fascination for nature, she is inspired by many artists such as Frida Kahlo, Pierre Soulages and Anish Kapoor.
INTERVIEW
It was at the last workshop I did during my studies at the Moulin Rouge, that I knew I wanted to make it my profession. I had the opportunity to meet the team of Maison Février which has been working to decorate the dancers for a 100 years.
Whether it was during my apprenticeship or later in my role at the Maison Février, I learned my craft from experienced masters. Each of them were specialised in a particular technique and a master in their field.
I master the different techniques of featherwork. The haute couture techniques produce an extremely fine and refined rendering, which from a distance can make you think of painting or embroidery, and the techniques used in the music-hall world aim to give an extremely voluminous rendering.
People sometimes find it hard to imagine that the longest part of making a piece is the preparation of the material. It has to be sorted, measured, cut. Each feather is then worked one by one. Many steps are involved before reaching the end result.
2 EXPERIENCES
