Why did you choose this craft?
It came naturally. My father was a cabinetmaker, I was born in the saw dust. I grew up being aware of the value and the nobility of wood; the closest material to the living being. We see the trees growing, they are part of our temporality.
Do you master any specific techniques?
My main tool is the chainsaw, my gesture is an act of no return: "per via di levare", building by subtraction. I scrupulously respect the identity of the wood, the memory of the tree, which forms the sculpture. Each sculpture is unique, it carries within it the identity of the tree.
©Michel Jouve
What is little known about your work?
I build alone from A to Z, without any help. The identity of the material guides the sculpture. Everyone has a different emotion towards the material, so I work alone. My body is completely involved, the process becomes a dance movement that gives the sculpture energy.
What is a “well made” sculpture for you?
It is being able to bring plausibility to the sculpture. It must seem alive; I am interested in the spirituality of the artwork. At some point the sculpture is captured, it represents a feeling. Poetry can best explain the feeling of a work.