Book: French-speaking “Artisanes” in nineteen professions

They are becoming rare. They appear discreet. Some of them, however, are desired. There is a queue for them, or more precisely a delay to expect. Who is it about? But craftswomen that Blaise Hofmann interviewed and that Vincent Guignet photographed, of course! These creators, who are also artisans, are brought together in an album which has just been released in bookstores. Editions Black on white, which looks classy. Images also without colors, which today gives an idea of ​​luxury. The thing also reinforces the idea of ​​a mystery of matter. Ceramic, glass, leather or fabric, all the activities treated here remain in fact linked to an original substance. Inspiration will come on top if all goes well.

Out of town

Nineteen professions are taken into consideration by Blaise Hofmann and Vincent Guignet in what we can imagine will be a winter journey coming out of the pandemic. At the turn of the sentences and behind the images there is a bit of cold that penetrates the French-speaking countryside. The artisans considered rarely turn out to be urban. The madness of rents has driven them out of the major centers, even the outskirts. We are in Rekingen in Valais with an organ maker. In La Sarraz with a somewhat farm-like costume designer. In Middes, in the canton of Fribourg, to meet a bookbinder. In Vuadens, not far from there, to see a saddler at work. In Sion, which is still a real city, but on a human scale, where a ceramist works. Some of the craftswomen have innovated by daring to take on a man’s profession. Others follow an ancestral tradition. A blacksmith is not common. Especially since there are very few blacksmiths left overall.

This is because craftsmanship is dying in Switzerland, after a long agony. When I saw “The Last Passmentiers” at the cinema, about people from Basel still weaving silk at home, it was in 1973. We have since seen the shops close. The list of vacant apprenticeship places is growing. Above all, reduce the number of customers… and customers. From ready-to-wear, we have gradually moved towards ready-to-throw. Tons of Chinese crap (when I think that this country once embodied luxury!), sold for next to nothing, have poured onto the market. We have thus arrived at the paradox that craftsmanship, both masculine and feminine, today sees itself reserved for an elite. The price of a book covered in one of those beautiful skins called “chagrin”. The cost of an armoury’s suit with gentians, rhododendrons and edelweiss embroidered where needed. The time of a quilter, a type of person in high demand today. If there was a tapestry in the book, it would be even worse. An armchair to be covered can wait almost a year in 2024.

If the work fits well into the career of Vincent Guignet (I was intrigued on his site), I initially wondered how it would fit into the career of Blaise Hofmann. The answer turns out to be obvious. Between the booklet for the “Fête des Vignerons” in 2019, “Faire paysan” and the children’s book that I just told you about on the islands of Lake Geneva runs a thread. It is the attachment to the earth. To traditions. A vision of the human being in a given territory. At the same time, there would be in Blaise the rejection of technocratic visions, of easy money, of waste or of this madness of travel that is pedantically called dromomania. It’s about keeping your feet on the ground, and that land can be plowed. I remind you that Blaise Hofmann also produces wine, which is not without merit in a part of Switzerland where land has become an investment product like any other. A writer living in a French countryside that is now deserted, Marie-Hélène Lafon also signs the preface. Note that Marie-Hélène also appeals to city dwellers. His book “Les sources” (2023) has exceeded 100,000 copies, which seems simply prodigious these days, when bookselling is doing so badly. And above all reassuring…

Practical

“Artisanes”, texts by Blaise Hofmann and photos by Vincent Guignet, Editions Noir sur blanc, 236 pages.

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Born in 1948, Etienne Dumont studied in Geneva which were of little use to him. Latin, Greek, law. A failed lawyer, he turned to journalism. Most often in the cultural sections, he worked from March 1974 to May 2013 at the “Tribune de Genève”, starting by talking about cinema. Then came fine arts and books. Other than that, as you can see, nothing to report.More info

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