normal studio Empreintes, 2024 info close

Empreintes
Normal Studio x Jousse Entreprise
Exhibition in collaboration with Aurélie Julien Collectible
September 26 – October 12, 2024

Exceptional craftsmanship fascinates Normal Studio because it crystallizes around tools, most often used in artisanal processes.
“Jean-François Dingjian and Éloi Chafaï came to us without preconceived ideas—except that they wanted to work on the imprint of the mold,” explains Isabelle Reiher, director of the Cirva from 2010 to 2019. “I liked this mindset, and I noticed that even though they allow themselves great independence, they always set a course and never deviate from it. In reality, these two designers have a highly controlled and artistic approach to both material and use.”

For Normal Studio, the unique experience at the Cirva acted as a catalyst, allowing them to once again follow their instinct rather than arriving with a project already sketched out.
“We wanted to let ourselves be surprised by how glass reacts when in contact with different mold textures—such as wire mesh, perforated sheet metal, or soft materials like textiles. The aim was to push the process to its limits in order to generate a form that would never be exactly the same. Opportunities to pursue research in such total freedom are rare!”

Over a year after the start of this exploration, Normal Studio selected a handful of glass pieces from among the forty produced with the Cirva team. Three of Cirva’s glassblowers were assigned to carefully follow the designers’ work, memorizing the gestures they would need to repeat in order to meet their requests. While generous with advice, the glassblowers also enjoy building complicity with residents—anticipating their needs to stretch their skills even further.

The duo quickly focused their research on the relationship between glass and light. “We realized that the imprint left on the glass produced fascinating optical qualities—the diffraction of light opened up new realms for the imagination.”

Normal Studio opted for an object free of assembly systems, breaking away from conventional typologies. Everything works on the principle of stacking: the LED plate, a blown-glass tube, a cast-glass disc, all crowned with textured forms. Four glass components are thus interlocked without fixings. Nothing magical in itself—except for the incredible puzzle of carving notches (grooves in the glass) that allow the elements to fit together seamlessly.

The prototypes chosen by Normal Studio resemble delicate votive lights, yet each weighs around ten kilos.

From this research into molds and chance, Normal Studio has produced a series of luminaires, each one unique. In 2024, they decided to extend this work with a series of vases created from a selection of sculptural blown-glass forms, preserved in their original state.

Excerpts from “Des moules/des lampes” by Michèle Leloup, from the monograph
Normal Studio Design Process, Éditions Alternatives