Marie Gobert

Paper sculptor

©Marion Collet

Playing with paper

Marie works with a scalpel and some dentistry tools
She has developed her own hand embossing technique
Time is an integral part of her artistic process

How can paper be embellished? How can its subtlety, softness, and complexity be revealed? As a paper sculptor, Marie Gobert approaches her work like an engineer, in a process of constant research. After an education in industrial design, Marie joined the packaging and events studio at Maison Chanel. This was a fortuitous first experience that turned into 15 fulfilling professional years. From here, she recalls her creative freedom and the exposure to the company's different disciplines, which greatly contributed to shaping her knowledge and experience of excellence. Marie now devotes herself to her own paper creations. Through repetition, imbrication, and extremely precise gestures, Marie plays with paper to create bas-reliefs, frames and compositions combining design and craftsmanship.

Interview

©Marion Collet

©Marion Collet

When did you start making your own paper creations?: In my early years at Chanel, there was a greetings card contest which I thought was great. As a designer I had industrial constraints to respect. So, any idea I knew impossible to produce, I would make at home for my pleasure. That is how my personal pieces came about.
What do you consider as your main skill?: Oddly enough, I lack patience! When I have an idea, I want it to be realised right away. This has encouraged me to find my own methods of imitating industrial techniques, and to explore the question “how to manipulate paper into something interesting?”.
How would you define what you do?: I work like a laboratory technician. My approach was never about storytelling. It is playing with the material that leads me to creation. I never know how the piece will turn out in the end. There is an engineering dimension in my approach.
What do you like most about your profession today?: To take the time to experiment, trying to illustrate an idea graphically while playing with paper. There is also something very meditative about spending time on a piece. This process allows me to sit down, quiet all the ideas in my head, and focus entirely on what I am doing, and what it is turning into.

Marie Gobert is a rising star: she began her career in 2016