Laura Demichelis
Atelier Demichelis
Metalworker
Rabastens, France
The modern bronzesmith
- Laura makes contemporary textured furniture from bronze
- While travelling in Asia, she discovered ancient Vietnamese bronze carving techniques
- In 2024 some of her works were added to the official collection of the Mobilier National
After graduating in bronze making from Ecole Boulle, a chance encounter with designer Van Der Streaten in Paris led Laura Demichelis to work on contemporary handcrafted furniture in bronze. She knew at that point that this would become her calling. Her technique and skill were nurtured in the workshop, where she was surrounded by people who encouraged her to push boundaries and promoted excellence in the execution of a finished object. In 2016, Laura set up Atelier Demichelis in Toulouse, creating entirely handmade contemporary lighting and furniture in bronze. "Since 2023 I have conducted research and technical testing to add enamelling in my bronze creations. This brings new colours and textures to my work, as well as an innovative dimension to my artistic approach," she explains. Laura received a grant from the Banque Populaire Foundation for this project.
Discover her work
INTERVIEW
I travelled to Asia and ended up in a bronze foundry in Vietnam. I learned a lot, especially their use of innovative solutions to make up for their lack of materials and equipment. This insight freed me as I had to find my own technical solutions, which today are blended with my traditional training.
Each new work has an innovative element to it. I try not to limit myself to what I already know. With each new piece, I am required to be creative. I am constantly in search of new ways of working in order to obtain the results I need.
During the making of a folding screen I needed to find a glue for brass and copper. Through extensive research, I found one used in the boat industry. This use of innovation came from the type of problem-solving that I learned in Vietnam – never to be limited to what we already have in the studio.
I give importance to my works being practical to use, but they are decorative pieces first and foremost. For example, nobody dresses or undresses behind a folding screen anymore. However, against a wall, a screen is a work of art and it can still act as a functional object.
