Arthur Teboul is known for his unique voice and his dandy look. A retro look and a dreamlike pen that takes us on a journey. Revealed with his group “Feu! Chatterton”, he has never stopped praising the virtues of poetry. His texts are lyrical flights. In this world where everything changes very quickly, he takes the opposite view: he chooses to live in the present moment. To “root himself” in the dream, in the gentleness, in this unique moment. After a first collection of poems published in 2023, he decides to materialize his words. This is how “Le déversoir” was born, named after his first book: a seventies-style office with a cozy atmosphere where he offers anyone who wishes to make an appointment for a consultation in his “instant poetry cabinet”. The experience gave birth to a second collection: “L’Adresse: Les rendez-vous du Déversoir” published in early 2024 by Seghers. At the same time, he announced the release of an album with Baptiste Trotignon. “Piano voix” will be released on August 30. Hyperactive, Arthur Teboul? Surely. However, the artist with many hats likes to take his time. In what he calls his “office”, everything invited us to slow down to reconnect with the simple pleasure of words and gentleness. “I have long dreamed of the existence, in the heart of our cities and our lives, of a place protected from the clamor of the world, from noise and fury, where we could stop for a moment”, he writes in the preamble to his latest collection.
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“I see decor as an art of living, a source of inspiration”
If Arthur Teboul is a figure that we know or recognize, one thing is certain, he had well hidden his passion for decoration from us. “The decor and decoration are for me essential elements of the poetic plunge. They are much more than a cosmetic item; it is thanks to them that the visitor can instantly switch from the outside world – everyday life – to this other space-time which is that of consultation: enigmatic, mysterious, playful, almost clandestine. » He then entrusted the following mission to the ETTTORE studio, co-founded by his wife, Mégane Servadio: to bring his vision to life and imagine a dream office. At home, he admits to us that he is used to living “in a theater setting, which evolves according to his discoveries”, so it is quite natural that he gives carte blanche to the duo of decorators.
“Above all, I wanted a cozy, subdued and lively place to inhabit the space from morning to evening and welcome visitors who were waiting in this closed space while writing their poems,” confides Arthur Teboul. Thick orange carpet, Mediterranean blue on the walls. “The starting point of the decor is the single painting on the wall: “Dance Movement”, an ink and color on paper by Matisse. » Few details, but strong pieces. Arthur Teboul and the ETTTORE studio opt for a theatrical and minimalist staging, judging this to be more conducive to “recollection, concentration and automatic writing”. Le Déversoir is not just an office or a cabinet of minute poems. It is a temple of creativity. An ode to subtlety.
“The dance of words, that of bodies, of furniture…”
At 127, rue de Turenne – the Parisian address of Arthur Teboul’s ephemeral office – the devil was in the details. The centerpiece, an Italian desk in elm burl and brass (circa 1970), contains its secrets. The detail that changes everything? “The elliptical and well-stocked drawers of the desk, behind which I spent my days. A huge, very chic office! They open with a small golden brass button. I store my everyday treasures there: bic pens, biscuits of all kinds and poems,” confides the artist. It’s alive, vibrant, almost sensual. Italian blown Murano glass lamps (Onfale model, designer Luciano Vistosi, 1970s) subtly illuminate the decor. “More than design, I also wanted an elegant and stylish place to go to every morning. To give weight, consistency, to this job of dumper. And it’s nice to work in a beautiful place! »
He admits it in the preface to his collection: “Perhaps the most beautiful. This is what I told myself to give myself courage before throwing myself headlong into this enterprise. I also repeated to myself this phrase from André Breton, again: “Trust the inexhaustible nature of the whisper.” I was not deceived. » For us, he agreed to immerse himself in this unique setting. A private visit by Arthur Teboul.
