Manifest
1. Embroidery as an artistic medium
Decorative Arts and beyond. The techniques are deconstructed until the gesture and the body are freed. The materials gradually unfold in high relief. These sculptures make the light vibrate and give the piece its own movement. Each stitch is unique. It carries an emotion. Each material is chosen according to its plastic quality, its individual aesthetic and its resonance in the pictorial whole of the embroidered work.
2. The right time, a fundamental value of the Ekceli studio
A contemplative work. The creative process and the embroidery have their own temporality. The choice of materials fluctuates according to their history, and according to encounters. The composition of each piece unfolds progressively in different times of attention, according to the harmony of textures and their evolution under the light of day.
Time rehabilitated for a sustainable model. The workshop strives to devote the « right amount of time » to creation, to promote gesture, know-how and creativity. It is in line with the « slow made » movement, whose objective is to rehabilitate the value of time in order to work better and consume better.
3. Preserving, transmitting and reinterpreting a cultural heritage
A support to the French cultural system. The creation of an embroidery can bring together up to 10 specialties (tapestry makers, weavers, spinners, framers, etc.). Exchanges on practices and techniques with other crafts encourage the maintenance of a cultural ecosystem. Ekceli collaborates in particular with Les Ateliers Jouffre “Entreprise du patrimoine vivant” (69) and Anaïs Jarnoux (75).
A transmission of know-how. Some embroidery techniques used date back to the Middle Ages. The Ekceli workshop is committed to the practice and transmission of these valuable skills. Since 2012, the workshop has trained more than 15 trainees and two winners of the “Prix savoir-faire en transmission”.
A reinterpretation of traditional techniques. Each technique is analyzed, broken down and rewritten according to the aesthetics and contemporary nature of the Ekceli studio. Tools and techniques of other trades are regularly introduced into the workshop practice to open the field of exploration and creation : pyrography, ironwork, jewelry, etc…
4. Locally sourced materials
A quality local supply. The majority of the materials and threads used by the Ekceli workshop are French. The creations are entirely imagined and produced in France.
The studio’s partners : Aux Fils de l’Arz, Master weaver in Brittany, listed as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO ; Maison Sajou (78).
Re-use and valorization. The materials used and a large number of the supplies used come from recycling and donations. All of the leathers come from unused stocks in the luxury goods industry. These materials have a life, a patina before being used and ennobled in the workshop. The embroidery work gives them a second life, an additional value.
The studio’s partners : Adapta (75); Brongniart (49) ; La réserve des Arts (75 and 93) ; Les puces de St Ouen.
Towards 100% local. There is no machine on the French territory to manufacture custom-made metal supplies. In 2022, the studio worked with designer NELSON FOSSEY to develop a machine for creating XXL cannetilles.