DRAGONFLY & XAVIER MAFFRE
Ceramist - Potter
A ceramist and a potter, Xavier Maffre sometimes wounds his clay around a rope, often models it onto a tower and always fires it in the crimson opening of his Dragon kiln (Anagama). He enjoys the rough softness of red earth, functional and beautiful objects, the hardness fire endows to the softness of clay. The apparent simplicity of Xavier Maffre’s ceramics led us to commission everyday objects from him. Stools with a glazed finish, or a large serving platter. We asked him to use this rope technique for each of these objects. Xavier Maffre brings to life pieces around assembled wood rods that outline the projected shape, the artisan wounds a rope that will be modelled with clay. This technique enables the production of impressive and huge pieces. The rope and the rods are removed before firing. For Dragonfly, Xavier Maffre has accepted to use rope to leave an imprint on the outside of his creations too. Indeed, we wanted to reveal the invisible, to enhance this unique know-how and help preserve it in our own way.
