Photographing artistic crafts: immersion at La Maison Lucien
This report in the studio of La Maison Lucienis part of my approach as a photographer dedicated to rare gestures and those who perpetuate them.
This work is part of my project Valoriser l'Invisible , which documents forgotten gestures, exceptional professions and knowledge in danger of disappearing throughout the world .
A photographic gaze at the service of gesture
My approach aims to precisely document the manual gesturesthat shape the material. In the world of artistic craftsmanship, each image becomes a trace, a memory and a tribute to the long term.
Photographer La Maison Lucien, it was like entering a workshop where the wax is melted by hand, the wicks stretched with rigor, the old molds put back into use, in total respect of the French wax maker 's trade.
La Maison Lucien: a rare profession in the heart of Droué
Maison Lucienis much more than a brand of scented candles. It is one of the few French houses to revive the historic craft of candle making, in the 18th-century artisanal tradition.
From her new workshop in Droué (41), she perpetuates forgotten gestures:
- Ladle or hand pouring of noble vegetable waxes
- Use of restored old-fashioned metal molds
- Custom braiding of strands according to the format
- Formulation of exclusive and high-quality perfumes
- 100% manual final assembly
In 2025, the workshop is also relaunching two ancestral French techniques:
- Making “diving” candles
- Manufacture of molded candles
Handcrafted candles serving heritage
Maison Lucien is regularly asked to create custom candles and tapers for heritage sites. It has notably created pieces for: Chartres Cathedral , The Castle of Maintenon, Villa Fulbert, The Royal College of Thiron-Gardais
These collaborations illustrate the house's ability to produce tailor-made works that interact with the history of the places.
Photographer for craftspeople
Through my photographic work, I seek to promote: rare professions , manual gestures, French know-how .
Nothing is staged. Everything is documented, respecting the craftsman's rhythm.
Light, matter, gesture are photographed as they are, at the precise moment they unfold.
This report in the workshop of La Maison Lucien is part of a broader approach: bringing documentary photography into workshops of art and excellence.
“Valorizing the Invisible”: an international project dedicated to forgotten gestures
This report is one of the French sections of my project Valoriser l'Invisible, which documents across several countries:
- Threatened professions
- Artisanal know-how
- Marginalized cultural practices
Throughout the world, I create photographic series that make visible what—and who—makes no noise: forgotten gestures, discreet knowledge, silent presences.
