This exhibition presents the Topographic Memories of Raphael Navot; a small edition of works resulting from the immersive collaboration between the artist and the master-craftsmen of Les Ateliers Saint-Jacques in the Vallée de Chevreuse, outside of Paris. As part of the gallery’s artist collaboration program, Navot was invited to the bucolic compound of stone, wood, metal and bronze workshops to work closely with the master artisans of Ateliers Saint-Jacques; a non-profit cooperative of workshops, esteemed for its prestigious apprenticeship program as well as the sought-after dexterity of its artisans.

The designer's interest in the metamorphoses of organic materials - whether natural or manmade - informs the collection. After meeting the Ateliers Saint-Jacques artisans and discovering the time honored techniques that each carries on, Navot drew inspiration from his personal collection of millions of years-old petrified wood. The artist reflected on the artisans’ mastery in transforming, shaping, tooling an organic matter, in parallel with nature's ways of transforming fossilized wood into stone as a record of time and history. He went back to his extensive library of geological inspirations, maps and topographies and chose existing section cuts that could be sculpted, eroded and patinated by the hands of the artisans. The designer drew and modeled abstract interpretations of the selected section cuts that he then refined together with the artisans who advised on the material, the finishes and the best techniques to achieve the artist’s vision.

“I am fascinated by the way time shapes and sculpts land. Bronze, stone, and wood portray land in its vibrant, ever-changing state. From everlasting alloys to minerals and crystallization, the fibrous force of living material is always in motion.” — Raphael Navot

“Working with Raphael has been fun and engaging as an artisan because he is passionate and knowledgeable about the material. And he is keen to learn more about our techniques. This collaboration brought the different workshops of Ateliers Saint Jacques together for the very first time. It was great to learn from our colleagues and our respective expertise.” —Pierre Yves Guenec, Compagnon du Devoir, Master-Craftsmen