Nicolas Verschaeve

Eyes on Talents member, Nicolas Verschaeve's itinerant studio stopped off in Meisenthal, in the northern Vosges, to question traditional glassmaking techniques at the Centre International d'Art Verrier. Through the creation of a modular wooden mould, Nicolas Verschaeve opened up a conversation with craftsmen, historians, sociologists, factory managers, foresters and local residents, blurring the boundaries between design and production. Published last year, his book Sillages brings together interviews, archives, materials research, design processes and photographs of the Meisenthal valley, raising questions such as the future of traditional know-how, the crisis in natural resources, collective intelligence on a small scale and the role designers can play in these contexts.
Nicolas Verschaeve's design practice pays sensitive attention to our ways of inhabiting the world. His itinerant studio sets out to reveal the singularity of each territory, to reflect on the contingencies that link materials to places, landscapes and the people who shape them.