Homo Faber Fellowship:
Julien Vermeulen & Matéo Laurent
Featherworking - France

Master Artisan: Julien Vermeulen, featherworking, France

Fellow: Matéo Laurent, École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs, France

From feather paintings to earrings, discover the duo bringing a contemporary touch to featherworking.

From the Loire Valley, Julien Vermeulen runs one of only four independent featherworking ateliers in France. Curious by nature, Julien innovates traditional featherworking techniques to create imaginative wall pieces, sculptures and installations from feathers. In 2018 Julien won the Prix Liliane Bettencourt pour l'Intelligence de la Main. Matéo Laurent is a fashion design student with a background in drawing, illustration and portrait painting. He regularly collaborates with designers to create mixed media pieces. His fascination for featherworking began when he visited Julien’s workshop in Paris as a first year student and since then he has been developing his skills in the craft alongside his studies.

Matéo: What is special about your atelier?

Julien: We were in Paris for nine years and recently we moved to Coutures in the Loire Valley. I chose to move here as my family live in the area, and to be close to bird breeders. I was also looking for a lot more space to incorporate a laboratory into the atelier.

Julien: What is the main reason you applied for the Fellowship?

Matéo: I already knew the Homo Faber Event, I have a friend that took part and he recommended that I follow the Michelangelo Foundation’s projects. It is an opportunity to acquire practical skills and to consolidate my prior knowledge of featherworking. It is a difficult craft to learn, so this programme represents a unique chance to take a first step towards a career in featherworking.

Matéo: How did you learn featherworking?

Julien: Principally at Lemarié, my technical training course was more theoretical – they teach you to follow a technical diagram step by step. At Lemarié my mentor was the oldest master featherworker of the atelier – she taught me a lot; reflection, creativity, and diverse approaches. Then I explored and experimented a lot, delving into archives for inspiration and ideas.

Julien: How can you apply your multi-disciplinary background to featherworking?

Matéo: My drawing skills are useful for the ideas and creative planning stage. Now, I would like to learn how to apply them to materials and create 3D pieces. I am also really interested by how drawings can help to transmit craft knowledge and techniques.

Matéo: How do you choose your feathers?

Julien: I really like goose feathers – they are like a white page, a blank canvas as they have no particular colour or pattern. They are very versatile to work with; you can apply every technique to them. There are some magnificent ones but they are difficult to work with – not very malleable, such as ostrich feathers.

Matéo: Where do you source your feathers?

Julien: Like other featherworking ateliers, we have very little visibility on the provenance of the feathers we use. We have been working with Fondation Bettencourt Schueller for the last five years to set up a French production line – sourcing feathers from local bird breeders. There are many elements to the process, you need the right facilities. We are in the final stages of equipping the laboratory next to my atelier, it should be up and running by the end of the year. It will be the only one of its kind in France.

Julien: Have you worked on co-creations before?

Matéo: Yes, I recently collaborated with a jewellery artist called Marine Billet on an earring. She did the metal part and I worked with the feathers. I also partnered with Les Compagnons du devoir on a pair of shoes and a bag. I love the element of collaboration in the craft world.

Julien: What’s your dream for the future?

Matéo: There are many artisans who I would like to collaborate with. I am especially interested in combining featherworking and shoe making. I would like to bring something new to featherworking.

Matéo: Where do you source your tools?

Julien: Do you remember the tool and feathers I gave you when you visited the atelier as a student? I knew how hard it was to source tools, no one has manufactured them for 70 years. Now, thanks to Fondation Bettencourt Schueller, we have had old tools recreated and even invented new ones by French artisans using recycled wood from where I had my first atelier in Paris.

Matéo: Yes, I still have the tool today.

Julien Vermeulen and Matéo Laurent are one of the 21 selected established artisan and fellow duos taking part in the first edition of Homo Faber Fellowship.

Discover more about the programme on michelangelofoundation.org