EXHIBITION
ARTNATOMY
CECILE DACHARY
Career
Cecile Dachary was born in 1963 in Poitiers, France.
She graduated from the French Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Appliqués et des Métiers d'Art with a diploma in product design.
She started out as a freelance designer before entering the design studio at Cacharel where she first worked as a textile designer and subsequently moved over to assisting the children’s wear stylist.
She then continued to work for children's fashion studios until 2001.
At the same time, she was developing ideas for a personal project.
In 2004, she began working in ceramics and created the design project La Combinatoire with Isa Bordat.
Since 2007, she has been exhibiting her work regularly and is currently participating in the exhibition A Vos Mailles, a knitting work-in-progress at La Galerie Collection in Paris.
Collections
Focusing primarily on the human body and its different forms, her work centers on the notion of "memory" and "the passing of time", which she questions at several levels.
The materials that appeal to her are pieces of worn fabric with their traces of past lives and those that recall a human body, such as used bed sheets.
By working with these materials, she awakens the memories steeped in the fabrics, calling up dormant emotions and fabricating a story around the body and the intimate feelings they arouse. Heir to the feminine side of practicality, marrying the personal and professional, she puts on display actions reserved for the privacy of the home and attempts to expand their reach to the outside world.
Distancing herself from the tyrannical concerns of our times, she appreciates the manual, artisanal work of the past that favors patience, an economy of means, and universality.
INTERVIEW
By Carole Dugelay, founder of Yellow Velvet
Tell me about the "Ab Fab" project
What were your inspirations?
The human body has always inspired me; first, by its external appearance and its form, but also the non-visible elements. Internal organs particularly fascinate me, their physical aspects but also, their mysterious quality. I choose to represent them in a rather surreal way. The cushions that I created for YELLOW VELVET are an expression of this.
Which techniques did you use?
The materials I use are yarn and fabric remnants, preferably worn. Using traditional needlework techniques such as sewing, embroidery or crochet, I attempt to re-appropriate the materials. For example, I like to contrast the delicateness of needlework and the notion of trash by using damask fabric, which is a bit kitschy, for the background and applying fabric images of organs, like embroidered bones or crocheted breasts which is quite the opposite.
Your favorite deco spots
A hotel that you are particular fond of
I cannot cite a particular hotel, but what appeals to me are the hotels outside of Paris that are very affordable, where the decor is not their priority. I especially like their simple comfort and location. I think particularly in the area of Normandoux (86), this place exudes intelligence and elegance without ostentation. In summer, it is a magical place and the old quarries are a must see.
A restaurant
For restaurants, my choice is also for those that offer good products, well prepared rather than ostentatious decoration.
I refer in particular to the Pre Verre, Ze Kitchen Gallery and Chez Mon Vieil Ami in Paris where I have enjoyed myself and the decor is sober and unobtrusive.
A shop or concept store
As for shopping, I am fond of Trésor by on the Rue du Trésor and 1962, the gallery in the18th on rue Tholozé.
Your vision of design
A designer
I love the designers from Droog Design and 5.5. My choice as an example of furniture would be Chest of Drawers by Tery Tejo.
An object
I'm quite tempted by the slow design: re-creating objects and furniture from existing parts and incorporating modern materials. It is not for ecological purposes but out of respect for the person who created the pieces by giving them a second life.
Describe your chez toi, your universe
My house is an architect-designed house from 1970, that is fairly typical of the period. But, I have decorated it in a very personal way that is cheerful and warm. My furniture mostly comes from my family and Emmaus. I have only two pieces that I purchased new.
These are pieces of furniture from the 30s, 40s, 50s and 70s that I gave a modern twist. The two best pieces are a pair of Eames chairs. I have textiles from India, Mexico, Vietnam and Europe that I mix with modern prints and crocheted blankets. I decorate the walls with works of artist friends and personal pieces. My kitchen, where I spend a lot of time, is an extension of the rest, with very few appliances. There is only a beautiful La Canche stove and a table and chairs in orange leatherette from the 60s that come from my grandmother plus, a few small pieces of furniture in the style of Droog Design.
