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Explore Artisans Museums & Galleries Experience Itineraries About
©Dorian Etienne
© Clara Uzunovic
©Dorian Etienne
©Dorian Etienne
©Dorian Etienne

Dorian Étienne

  • Multimedia sculptor
  • Bagnolet, France
  • Rising Star
Dorian Étienne Multimedia sculptor
Contact
French, English
Hours:
By appointment only
Phone:
+33 760761269
©Anna Click

The itinerant creator

  • • Dorian’s approach is deeply respectful of the environment and humans
  • • Experimentation is at the heart of his work
  • • He defines himself as a travelling designer-craftsman

Dorian Étienne is a multifaceted craftsman based in Paris. Following a degree in object design at the Boulle school, he turned to craftsmanship during a residency at the National Institute of Crafts in Taiwan. “I went to find what I was missing: creating with my hands and not “just” designing things theoretically. Experiencing techniques and materials gives me a real advantage, that of thinking about “achievable” designs, rather than utopian ones.” Settling in near or distant territories for the duration of a project, Dorian observes cultures and histories, techniques and materials and is inspired by the richness of the world's cultural heritages. His pieces express his respect for humans and the environment and reveal his mastery of the various techniques he masters such as burned wood (shou sugi ban), tufting, bamboo work, natural lacquer, suminagashi, and plant dyes.

Read the full interview

Works

  • ©Dorian Etienne
  • ©Dorian Etienne
  • ©Dorian Etienne
  • ©Dorian Etienne
  • ©All rights reserved
Photo: ©Dorian Etienne
Resilience

This is tableware combining metal and wood. Poured into logs carved out by termites, the metal fills in the wood while embellishing it with unique patterns. This collection is inspired by the Japanese technique of kintsugi. It shows an eco-friendly way to revalue damaged wood, while allowing the history of the material to shine through.

Photo: ©Dorian Etienne
Bones

These are mood lights entirely made of bamboo. This collection highlights the hidden curves of plants. The light is diffused through thin veneer bamboo leaves, extracted by a mechanical turning process. Smoked or natural, their translucent qualities underline the fibrous texture of bamboo. These lamps are the result of a collaboration with Cordélia Faure.

Photo: ©Dorian Etienne
Bambou Ardent

This is an intriguing mood lamp in green bamboo. Bamboo is an exceptional material which offers a remarkable variety of shapes and uses. Moreover, its internal structure reveals unique natural patterns. Cutting, sanding, turning and drilling reduce the thickness of the bamboo at leisure, revealing a chart of translucency.

Photo: ©Dorian Etienne
Lukang

This is a loofah and stainless steel seat. Under mechanical pressure, the loofah fibres interweave to form a single frame without a binder. Designed on an eco-friendly basis, the seat is reversible and comes with a lifetime warranty. To make it, Dorian Etienne immersed the fibres in water so that the loofahs separate, then pressed them together by adding new fibres to the torn areas. This is the result of a collaboration with Cordélia Faure.

Photo: ©All rights reserved
Pays’Âges tapestry

This large scale tapestry is the result of a collective effort between Dorian Étienne and the local community during his residency at St Maurice Abbey. The main technique used to craft this piece is tufting.

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