Vincent Collin: Jack of all trades.
Thanks to his advertising father, Vincent Collin develops a sensitivity to decorative arts very early on. With him, he runs the St Ouen flea markets and other flea markets, which allow him to meet passionate people and discover objects. Caught by the virus, he begins research into ornamentation. In 1991, he met Olivier Gagnère and learned alongside him. And in 1995, he designed his first collection of ceramics, furniture and lighting supported by VIA, produced by Prisunic then by Édition Limitée. Very quickly the designer made a name for himself.
His creations are far from minimalist despite their incredible simplicity. He likes the purity of lines, values shapes, and ignores the superfluous. He works with bronze, forged or beaten metal, and ceramics. Each of his creations combine curves and offsets in a search for shapes that defy the laws of balance. His work is distinguished by pieces of extraordinary dimensions and by a diversion of material (ceramic sideboard, concrete lighting fixtures, etc.).
Over time, his creations have attracted embassies, hotels and other private homes and appear in numerous collections.
Constantly seeking new challenges, in 2000 he undertook the rescue of the Virebent porcelain factory with Frédérique Caillet, his lifelong accomplice. Thanks to their pugnacity, they allowed this beautiful house to once again become one of the flagships of art and design. It was on the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of the factory that Vincent Collin, also a photography enthusiast, had the idea of highlighting the daily work carried out by his teams. Thus, a selection of more than 600 photos, grouped by theme (that of the hand, the workshop, the details, life in the company, the tools, the portraits…) and entered by employees of yesterday and today, reflect their experience in the company. Images with a strong emotional impact, between nostalgia and fascination, to highlight a “humanity” linked by the same passion. To discover !
Instagram: collin_vincent
Currently : Exhibition “Regard Ouvrier” at the Virebent Museum, Rue de l’usine 46700 PUY-L’EVEQUE. Until September 23, 2024
Your first photographic breakthrough?
Vincent Collin : The small square black and white photos with jagged edges in which you are the same age as your father.
The man or woman who inspired you?
Vincent Collin : The portrait of the CHE.
The image you would have liked to take?
Vincent Collin : Jesus Christ.
The one that moved you the most?
Vincent Collin : The Little Napalm Girl by Nick Ut.
And the one that made you angry?
Vincent Collin : That of Jean-Marie Le Pen in 2002
Which photo changed the world?
Vincent Collin : The first photo of Nicéphore.
And which photo changed your world?
Vincent Collin : My ultrasound.
What interests you most in an image?
Vincent Collin : The light.
What is the last photo you took?
Vincent Collin : An 1830 griffin signed Virebent.
A key image from your personal pantheon?
Vincent Collin : Doisneau graffiti.
A photographic memory from your childhood?
Vincent Collin : School photographs with a comb and an orange undershirt.
What quality do you think is necessary to be a good photographer?
Vincent Collin : empathy.
What makes a good photo?
Vincent Collin : time suspended.
The person you would like to photograph?
Vincent Collin : The laughter of an anonymous child.
An essential photo book?
Vincent Collin : The encyclopedia of photography.
The camera from your childhood?
Vincent Collin : The Kodak Brownie.
The one you use today?
Vincent Collin : This Thursday June 13, 2024, a Sony RX 100.
How do you choose your projects?
Vincent Collin : We don’t choose, we are challenged.
How would you describe your creative process?
Vincent Collin : Improve the idea from the day before.
An upcoming project that is close to your heart?
Vincent Collin : The exhibition “Regard Ouvrier”.
Your favorite drug?
Vincent Collin : Movement.
The best way to disconnect for you?
Vincent Collin : Venice.
What is your relationship to image?
Vincent Collin : It replaces reading.
Who would you like or would have liked to be photographed by?
Vincent Collin : A child.
Your latest madness?
Vincent Collin : Rings and bracelets signed Serge Thoraval.
An image to illustrate a new bank note?
Vincent Collin : Abbot stone.
The job that you would not have liked to do ?
Vincent Collin : Proctologist.
Your biggest professional extravaganza?
Vincent Collin : The Virebent 100th anniversary project.
What is the question that makes you slip?
Vincent Collin : The question of the republic.
What was the last thing you did for the first time?
Vincent Collin : Create a museum.
The city, country or culture you dream of discovering?
Vincent Collin : India.
The place you can’t get enough of?
Vincent Collin : Venice.
Your biggest regret?
Vincent Collin : Not being able to save the people you love.
Color or B&W?
Vincent Collin : Black and white.
Daylight or studio light?
Vincent Collin : Day light.
Which city do you think is the most photogenic?
Vincent Collin : Paris.
If God existed, would you ask him to pose for you or would you opt for a selfie with him?
Vincent Collin : Neither.
If I could plan your ideal dinner party, who would be at the table?
Vincent Collin : My loves and my friends.
The image that represents for you the current state of the world?
Vincent Collin : Black smoke.
What do you think is missing in today’s world?
Vincent Collin : Water for the poorest.
If you had to start all over again?
Vincent Collin : So what ?
What would you like people to say about you?
Vincent Collin : After I leave I suppose?… It’s unfair.
The one thing we absolutely need to know about you?
Vincent Collin : I am a hedonist.
One last word
Vincent Collin : It all starts today.
