A field on a balcony - URBAN COW GIRLS!
Auteur : Ariane | 10-01-2011
AZ & MUT, who’s that? The name speaks to me; I’m at ‘Merci’ when I discovered this new identity, which is without a doubt an up and coming Cocotte.
These two curious designers, Rafael David and Geraldine Hetzel, have an atypical life path and met on the banks at the School of Industrial Design - Strate College Designer. To their credit, they have a career full in business far from what they offer today!
«We had a common desire to create a tailor-made job! Our thoughts and experiences confirm it, you can not stay in a box!” They confided in me...In 2006, AZ & MUT materialized their desires by becoming a studio specializing in creating and editing!
Insatiable and curious, it is the details and events of everyday life that feed their inspiration. This simplicity is reflected in their creations.
Their ambition is to emphasize materials which are often ecological and of local savoir-faire for innovative uses.
They bring a breath of country to the city with their objects, and practicing an urban design, poetic, fresh and tender, that feels good!
The pot Cavalier made from flax fiber is placed directly straddling the balcony railing is a typical example.
Later in the interview:
What do you like most about your job?
That it demands us to be on the alert, awake, leaving some to intuition without forgetting reflection so that the user will find its utility.
That it is both very creative and very concrete, it is among other things the reason why we have chosen to work in self-publishing ... a way to track the manufacturing process of our creations throughout the process.
What is your relationship in a creative project?
Rafaële is bulimic, she has a thousand ideas a minute and rushes headstrong into new projects. I like to dissect, turn the idea around, I hesitate ... I need more time before joining a new project and getting started. Once we both agree, nothing can stop us, not even an injection mold for more than 30,000 euros!
Team spirit?
We don’t even speak anymore of team unity, we are az & mut, we understand each other so well that often we know what the other will say ... we no longer need to talk! Like an old couple! Seriously, we are fortunate to have found one another; we complete each other, while on being on the same wavelength, important!
And your workshop?
It’s at home.
This is the most effective balance that we have found to juggle professional and personal life.
How do you work?
It is based on a concept, from a story that materializes in sketches and cardboard models, straw, wire ... We also manufacture small silicone molds as prototypes in resin («home»). 3D is also a good support.
Made in France? (A broad subject that was the object of our phone chattering!)
A successful object is always the fruit of teamwork, a happy collaboration with a manufacturer (artisan or industrial), which seems, to us, easier to find locally.
It is also very satisfying to support local businesses, which are under a lot of pressure from competitors abroad where labor is much cheaper.
What is the role of women in artistic creation?
In the world of artistic creation and design, women remain underrepresented.
Those that are visible are especially talented.
Do you read other blogs ?
We recommend these blogs by friends of ours:
http://faimdepellicule.blogspot.com
http://www.rueamandine.com/blog/
Do you know other female artists that you can recommend?
Just some names that we have at the top of our heads, but there are lots of others:
Anne Bulliot, Gloria Friedmann, Céline Sciamma…
Your musts in the decoration?
We love diversity! Geraldine hates monochrome.
Describe your ideal home..
Rafaële: a tree house, with friends in nearby trees and the sea not far away ... «Come over says Geraldine! «
Geraldine: a big house by the sea in Sicily, with lots of friends and time to enjoy it...
What are your current projects?
A gardener and a stool in flax, an installation in the gardens of Barbirey in Burgundy, an indoor pot in terracotta edited by ENO, a small piece of furniture to be built in white linen.
Our dream is to create a deck kit that could fix all the windows of all buildings to give everyone a green area!
Thank you, I confirm that you are a « cocotte » !
2 rue Gaston Couté 75018 Paris
www.az-et-mut.fr
Rafaële David - raf.david@gmail.com
Géraldine Hetzel - g.hetzel@hotmail.fr
Copyright Morgane Le Gall
Copyright Kai Jüneman pour le portrait
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