Between 21 September 2009 and 20 September 2010, designer Guillaume Bardet composed a drawing of a personal object every day for a year. As an extension of this experience, the following year he brought these drawings to life with the help of a group of potters from the Dieulefit area (Drôme, in the south of France).
The idea of creating 365 deeply personal objects over the course of a year was intended to intensify these two exciting stages in the process almost to the point of insanity. By producing a new item each day, Bardet resolved to experience the transformation of the creative process, in heightened form as it were, and consequently to discover a new formal artistic alphabet... in other words seeking a means to extend the boundaries of his expression in order to explore its depths more fully.
Although he chose to work with clay (earthenware, sandstone and porcelain) as his one and only medium in which to produce all 365 objects, this was not simply because Guillaume Bardet resides in Dieulefit, an area famous for its pottery and ceramics; as a young man, he had done a lot of clay modelling and it was this medium that enabled him to fully grasp and take on board his love of form.
After several months shut away in his studio, Guillaume Bardet went to meet a group of some 20 potters, sensing that their working practices would nurture his own, and vice versa. And indeed, his perspective did transform their creative methods, just as their expertise enhanced his own.
Now that the 365 pieces are nearing completion, this catalogue stands out as an indispensable record tracing the stages of this titanic project and ensuring a wide distribution of this adventure, which was both personal and artistic and for an entire year bound the fortunes of Guillaume Bardet with a dozen pottery studios.
Four exhibitions are scheduled, in 2012 – 2013, presenting the entire collection Guillaume Bardet's creations: - 24 January to 26 March 2012, at the Cité de la céramique in Sèvres - 29 April to16 September 2012, at the Grand Hornu Images in Belgium - October 2012 to January 2013, at the Château des Adhémar contemporary art centre in Montélimar, and at the Maison de la céramique in Dieulefit - March 2013 to June 2013, at the Mudac in Lausanne, Switzerland
This 456 page book resembling a tear-off calendar will present the entire collection of Guillaume Bardet's creations. The decision was made to display the various fruits of his daily output, following on page by page, (including vases, jars, stools, folded paper creations, table-top items and lamps) with the date as a point of reference on each page (as a caption) and including the characteristics of each object. This book will serve as a catalogue, accompanying each of the exhibitions.
In all 400 illustrations are planned for inclusion in the book, to be produced by Pierre Olivier Deschamps. Three authors were approached to write the texts: Lorette Nobécourt, Catherine Geel and Claude Eveno (their biographies are featured below). The texts have been translated into English. The c-album agency, headed by graphic designer Laurent Ungerer, is responsible for designing the layout and creating this publication.
Book published with financial backing of the Centre national des arts plastiques (publishing financial backing).
