jacques monneraud on his journey to ceramics
At first glance, Jacques Monneraud’s boats appear assembled from folded sheets cardboard held together with strips of packing tape. Every crease, dent, and wavy edge is convincing enough to mistake them for disposable packaging. Only upon closer inspection does the illusion begin to unravel. These items are made entirely of claytransformed through an intensely painstaking process that leaves almost no visible trace of the artist’s hand.
For Monneraud, however, the illusion is only the beginning. Behind the Carton series lies a much wider reflection on time, permanence, craftsmanship and the traces we leave behind. Across from one conversation with designboomthe French ceramic artist talks about letting go of advertising to embrace slower forms of construction, why beauty still matters, how deception can become a tool of attention, and why turning fragile cardboard into baked clay creates what he calls “time short”.
all images by Jacques Monneraud unless otherwise noted
slowdown after ad
Before ceramics became his full-time practice, Jacques Monneraud spent years working in advertising, an experience that continues to shape the way he thinks about objects and time. Looking back, he describes his move to ceramics as a conscious search for permanence. “I’ve developed a stiff neck by constantly looking at the past and the future at the same time. I think that’s what led me to ceramics rather than the newer forms of construction. I wanted to create things that would last longer than a thirty-second commercial that airs during halftime at a football game, and I wanted to make them with my own hands.” says the artist at designboom. That being said, I am fully aware of all that my years in advertising have given me. I often think of Guinness’ famous motto: ”Good things come to those who wait.” I wanted to swim against the endless current that Marcus Aurelius wrote about and reconnect with a slower sense of time, the sense that allows you to pay attention to the details. I remember those endless afternoons of my childhood and the creativity that boredom inevitably brought with it. We are hardly ever bored anymore. And I think that’s a shame.’ This relationship with time resonates throughout his work. Cardboard, one of the most temporary materials of modern life, becomes ceramic, one of humanity’s oldest and most enduring artistic mediums.
the artist extends the language of cardboard to familiar household containers | image Natacha Nikouline
from disposable packaging to baked clay
Packaging became Monneraud’s subject because it offered a direct way of thinking about transformation, permanence, and things that never really disappear. “Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed.” I was a kid, terrible at chemistry, and had no idea why this sentence moved me so much. Looking back, I think these words illuminate the simplest things in life. If the soil is polluted, it will not bear good fruit. It’s not plastic packaging is everywhere, and it felt like the right place to start talking about it. the French ceramist shares with us.
“Following the same idea, I am convinced that beauty can help save us because it has the power to bring out the best in human nature. It is food for the soul. Beautiful things can calm us, move us, bring people together and create common ground. So I tried to make something beautiful out of something ugly. In fact, I’ve always believed that this is the very essence of ceramics: trying to turn mud into gold.” he adds.
a group of ceramic vessels with folded mouths and wavy handles | image Natacha Nikouline
tricking the eye to slow down the mind
The remarkable realism of the Carton series is not intended as a technical demonstration. Monneraud sees illusion as a way of interrupting the speed with which people consume images and objects.“A noun. Imagine a carnivorous plant disguised as an innocent flower. That’s the kind of illusion I’m looking for. I’m not trying to make a clever reference. I genuinely want to make fun of people. admits the artist. “If a work of art simply refers to something to say something, it has to deal with the pace of modern life, with distraction and sometimes with indifference, because it asks the viewer to meet it halfway. But if you manage to fool the senses first, the brain lets its guard down and begins to wander peacefully. By the time he realizes that he’s not looking at cardboard after all, it’s already too late for him not to take a few seconds to think about it.’
For Monneraud, deception never exists for its own sake. “Fortunately, my goal is not to assimilate people like insects. It is to recreate a spark of innocence, a brief return to childhood that allows them to look at the world around them with fresh eyes. Whenever that happens, I feel the piece has succeeded. explains.
As images are more easily created through machines and artificial intelligence, the ceramist is increasingly attracted to work whose creation remains visible through the investment of time and effort. “Lately, I’ve noticed myself losing interest in images that are undeniably beautiful and perfectly executed, simply because I know they were created by machines. On the other hand, I still remember being fascinated by the work of Aardman Studios (Wallace & Gromit), knowing that it took a whole day to produce just six seconds of film, all by hand.” is reflected. ‘It raises a fascinating philosophical question about the relationship between the result and the work required to achieve it. Does something become more meaningful because of the effort behind it? I believe it is. In that sense, I see craftsmanship as a ray of hope.’
a selection of ceramic vessels by Jacques Monneraud;
creating a temporal short circuit
Each object in the Carton series combines two radically different lifetimes. Cardboard is folded, shipped, recycled and forgotten. Fired clay has survived cultures. Monneraud is interested in what happens when these timelines collapse into a single object.
“I’m fascinated by the disconnect between the present moment and the future, especially our remarkable ability to act without really considering the consequences of our actions. Take something as fundamental as having children. How can we bring them into the world while acting like they won’t one day have to live with the consequences of the choices we make today?” is reflected. “By giving something as fragile and short-lived as cardboard the ability to survive for thousands of years, I hope to create a temporary short-circuit and invite people to reflect on this paradox.”
Jacques Monneraud has recently focused much of his attention on figures from Ancient Greece, working closely with ceramic art historian Virginie Armellin before translating these references into his own geometric language.“The first step is always reading. Why does this shape exist? In the past, function often dictated form, and I love discovering that side of an object. he admits.“Once I pick a piece, I filter it through my own set of constraints. For example, I avoid curves altogether to enhance the cardboard illusion. I do this “translation” through drawing.
“Then comes what I call the technical journey: figuring out how to actually make the piece. Should it be built in one or more sections? Do some elements need to be reversed? Will the weight of the clay create problems when baking? These are the kinds of questions that shape every decision. adds the French artist. “Once that’s settled, the real work begins, and so do the problems. But that’s exactly what I like: trying, failing, starting over, finding solutions, making custom tools, learning how to cast a certain form. This is my playground.’
“The whole process is painstaking and deeply empirical. In the end, my workbench looks like an operating room after a very long surgery, covered in dirty tools, dried lumps of clay and puddles of fresh slip. Only then does the object finally have a beating heart and I can go to sleep.” continues.
geometric vessels refer to both historical ceramics and everyday packaging | image Natacha Nikouline
disappears through crafting
The illusion depends on extreme precision. Fingerprints, tool marks or imperfections would immediately reveal the ceramic beneath the surface. “The illusion I’m chasing requires that I leave no trace of my presence. However, with the exception of small pieces of tape, my works remain raw, and before firing, even the slightest imprint marks the clay like concrete that is still wet. I can’t hide behind a layer of glaze. Jacques Monneraud shares designboom. “Which means that, in order to exist artistically, I must disappear technically. I really like this paradox and I think it is what gives the work its uniqueness. The most beautiful watches are not always those whose mechanism is visible.’
Although the work addresses consumption, permanence and memory, Monneraud eschews morality. Humor remains one of the central tools in his practice. “I’ve been dealing with my own demons for a long time, so I chose humor and surprise over sarcasm and cynicism.” confesses the artist. “It is a personal challenge and unfortunately a daily one. That being said, I also believe it is the best way to build a bridge with others. Since I’m not making objects to keep for myself, it’s important to use the right language to make that connection.”
the carton range includes pitchers, bottles, jars and storage containers | image Natacha Nikouline
what survives us
Questions about sustainability inevitably arise when discussing cardboard and ceramics, but Monneraud sees ecology as only one part of a larger discussion.
“Anyone who produces things today, whether an individual or a company, has to ask these questions, because there are already too many objects in the world. In ceramics, the responsibility is even greater, since from the moment it is fired, a piece can outlast us for thousands of years. In my studio, the selection process before anything goes into the kiln is extremely strict for this reason. emphasizes. “My work is not directly related to ecology. It’s about our relationship with what disappears and what remains, it’s about nostalgia, memory and the traces we leave behind. Those are the sensitivities I try to focus on, because I think they might be what ultimately saves us.’
As for what comes next, Jacques Monneraud offers only a brief glimpse.
“I’m drawn to china the way Frodo is drawn to the Ring. But it’s still a bit early to talk about that.’
Cardboard-like forms reduce everyday objects to simple geometric volumes | image Natacha Nikouline
