unique in the world, the art of weaving, born six centuries ago in Creuse, is still transmitted in Aubusson

Having become the intangible cultural heritage of humanity, the art of weaving is perpetuated at the International Tapestry City of Aubusson. After two years of training, around ten trainees each year graduate with the “art of the smooth” craftsmanship certificate, so that this know-how, unique in the world, is not lost.

“There you see, you go above when you should go below, it’s prettier that way.”

On the top floor of the international tapestry city of Aubusson, the looms continue to grind, three days a week. Around ten apprentices are trained here in the art of smoothing, a unique know-how in the world, born in the Creuse six centuries ago.

France-Odile Perrin-Crinière, weaver, transmits all her knowledge of this profession, which requires great qualities.”Above all, you have to be endurance, that is to say, be able to last a long time on the same job because it progresses very slowly.“, she explains.

The hands patiently slide the shuttle between the warp threads, then energetically comb the weave, while the feet activate the pedal board.“We have the impression that it's a static job, and in fact it's not at all, we're always moving our legs, our bodies, and yes it requires endurance because we're still moving. hours of doing the same gesture and repeating it” notes Isaline Delacroix, in training this year.

“I don’t know if I didn’t make it too big,” asks Marina Cantin, also an intern,. “No, I don’t think it will ever be too big.” France-Odile replies.” We is about the formation of a circle, but which is interspersed with other shapes, so it's a little complex to imagineshe explains.

Mastering the art of weaving means both acquiring extremely precise technical gestures and using them to reproduce delicate patterns.

“It hasn't been long since we learned to make circles, so having lots of circles inside each other scared us, but once we get started, it's very pleasant to see the drawing rise“, recognizes Marina.

“Qhen you have a pencil and you make a drawing, the gesture is extremely fast, and you can erase”, underlines the trainer.

The report by Antoine Jegat and Margaux Blanloeil

Originally from Creuse, Emilien joined this training with a dream: “It would be to set up my own workshop, and weave my own creations. I had great-grandparents who were cardboard weavers, so I'm taking back this family adventure that we lost a little bit.“, he confides.

“There are some who will arrive saying, I want to be a weaving artist, to make my creations, they have this desire at the start, but it is not said that in the end, they say to themselves, I still have plenty of things to learn, it's better that I go to work in a workshop first, we'll see later, it matures” observes France-Odile.

Thanks to the city's influence, trainees now come from all over France. The youngest, Léa, discovers the full extent of this ancestral art: “I thought it was mostly medieval, historical covers, but we realize that there are really compositions that are much more contemporary with current artists“, she discovers.

After the training session, France-Odile begins a second day: at the head of workshop A² For 15 years, she has collaborated with great artists and contributed to Tolkien and Miyazaki hangings, which helped to revive attendance at the tapestry city. But the time has come for her to hand over the reins.

“I really like weaving, it's nice, we're in our own bubble, it's quite pleasant, but what weighs on me now is the whole administrative part, which is really very heavy“, she explains.

And it is Florence, one of his former students, who is preparing to take over the workshop. “I really like this report from someone who has know-how and who can really pass it on to me up close. The transfer takes place for three years, before I become majority manager“, explains the young woman.

“Anyway, if I had told her hey, here are the keys, she wouldn't have said yes” jokes France-Odile, who will continue to train weavers at the tapestry city of Aubusson.

Currently closed to the public for extension work, the international city of Aubusson tapestry will reopen its doors on January 15.