This interview is part of a series of interviews with European craftspeople conducted in collaboration between FRH, the European network for Religious Heritage, and Mad’in Europe, the network of European fine and traditional crafts and Cultural Heritage restoration professions.

1. Please introduce yourself (profession, area of expertise and years of experience).

We are 2 carpentry masters and teachers of the Centro de los Oficios de León. The trade schools in Spain were an initiative created in the 80’s, they taught traditional trades to unemployed young people. In these structures you could typically find professionals of the field and young people receiving training in heritage restoration. Our school began in 1987, following this tradition.

We have been professors of woodworking and carpentry for more than 30 years. We received the Richard H. Driehaus Building Arts Award in 2022 and obtained high recognition for the work we are doing in recovering and disseminating the Spanish carpentry tradition of “carpintería de armar” or “de lo blanco” (structural carpentry).

We have a very specific construction tradition developed in Spain from the 13th to the 18th century. These series of carpentry structures with strapwork are called “Mudejares”. There are more than 12,000 trusses of the period catalogued throughout Spain and South America. 

We have been researching on this topic for 22 years, from the works of the Spanish architect and specialist of the matter, Enrique Nuere. We started by building small models and structures, but we are now building large scale structures that can afterwards be installed in buildings, usually churches, in order to restore their damaged roofs and provide them with a very rich and well elaborated ornamental structure. All this while giving training to people who want to learn how to make and restore this kind of structures: students over 18 years old, architects or even heritage lovers.

2. What clients/markets do you work with (are they local, national or international)? Which needs does your work generally tackle? Which are the required skills and certifications that your customers request?

We do this “Carpinteria de armar” works punctually for clients throughout the summer during our summer classes, taking advantage of the agreements we have with associations or individuals. 

We are a municipal school so our city council reaches agreements with neighbourhood councils or individuals who agree to provide us with the materials we need and in exchange we give them back the work done. Once the course is finished, they take care of the installation of the work. This way we ensure that the students who attend the course have a real work experience, in addition to the theoretical training we give them. 

We work in our immediate environment, although on some occasions we have also given courses in Madrid, Valencia and even in Colombia.

3. Please briefly explain how your profession is related to religious heritage and/or cultural heritage. 

Our work is related to religious heritage because we occasionally work with churches. Last year, a small town in the province of León, Valcabado del Páramo, contacted us to carry out the restoration of a truss in the central nave of their church. Our first intervention aimed to provide the entrance portico of the church with a small truss made of strap works. Then, we made a re-creation of the truss, because there were only a few remains of the original one in the presbytery. The new truss that we made during our summer course could then be installed in this church.

Moreover, in our area the dioceses have a lot of buildings and it is very difficult to maintain these buildings in good condition. Nowadays the needs for work are enormous. These buildings need urgent intervention, especially in the area of roofing. The inhabitants of the municipalities have an enormous role in the preservation of this heritage because they launch crowdfunding campaigns to finance this type of project.

4. Could you describe the main steps of your usual working process and the materials that you use the most ?

Our work begins with the selection of the intervention (according to the location and the needs of the work). Once the project is chosen, we make the plans and drawings that allow us to assess the price of the materials in order to generate the roof. Then we take care of preparing the woods, scheduling the classes in question, and the duration. Once the truss is built, it is moved to the site, we take care of the treatment and finally we install it ourselves or call another company to handle this task.

We work with conifers such as pine or fir. The denomination of “carpintería de lo blanco” comes from the constructive tradition in this type of wood, which are pale woods.

5. Do you regularly cooperate with craft professionals from other fields? If yes, can you explain which ones and why?

We have a direct collaboration between our school and external companies that are in charge of the remaining parts of the work that could not be carried in the timeframe of our summer classes. The workers of these companies are usually old students of the school. They are in charge of giving the appropriate treatment to the work or assembling the structures, for example.

6. Please mention any innovation that helped improve your work (technological, digital, material related, legal…) and explain the impact they had on your profession

In the design part we are helped by graphic design programs, which allow us to have a very precise control over the drawing process.

In the workshop we also use electro portable machine tools or some more complex numerical control machines. They allow us to facilitate the work and achieve greater precision. The technology applied to this specialty of carpentry is a great help. But we must keep in mind that technology is irrelevant without the craft, the constructive logic, the know-how. Both elements are complementary.

7. What would you recommend to a young person interested in your profession? What are the opportunities and areas in which they can work with your skills?

Ricardo: I finished high school and I suddenly told my parents that I wanted to train in carpentry. I was actually a student of the first promotion of this school, in Leon. That was an upset at family level. I discovered the carpentry trade and began to realise the deep satisfaction that working with my hands brings. Learning a trade is something you spend a lifetime doing, and you never finish. It is a job that mobilises all your creativity because you start from a material that you end up transforming into a unique piece.  

Agustín: I have discovered an exciting world where you can feel completely fulfilled because the creative part of designing and building brings great satisfaction. I would encourage young people to try to discover what they would like to do with their own hands or what skills they can develop because there is a lot of work to be done.

8. Which are the threats that may endanger your profession? Can you mention some difficulties that are associated with your work?  Which could be the solutions to better support your profession and preserve the transmission of skills?

We are a municipal school, so the biggest threat we have is that our city council, which finances the project, stops giving us this economic support. We need the institutions to invest in the recovery of traditional trades. Cultural heritage is not only a fundamental local economic resource but also a symbol of identity.

Learn more about the school HERE

This interview is part of a series of interviews with European craftspeople conducted in collaboration between FRH, the European network for Religious Heritage, and Mad’in Europe, the network of European fine and traditional crafts and Cultural Heritage restoration professions.

Campane Marinelli has the exceptional distinction of being the oldest bell foundry in Italy. The business of the Marinelli family has been operating in the small village of Agnone, preserving the same techniques and materials for more than 1,000 years. The foundry is run today by the brothers Armando and Pasquale Marinelli. We recently had a conversation with Armando to look back at their long history and hear about the challenges facing this centuries old craftsmanship.

1. Please introduce yourself (profession, area of expertise and years of experience).

AM: I am Armando Marinelli and together with my brother Pasquale, I run the Marinelli Foundry. I have been in contact with the world of bell casting since I was a kid, but I got involved in a more serious manner when I was 20 years old. It was at that age, after the loss of my father, that I started working in the business, replacing him in the artistic part of the foundry while my uncle continued doing the managerial part. As time went by I also assumed the managerial part.

2. What clients/markets do you work with (are they local, national or international)? Which are the required skills and certifications that your customers request?

AM: Our main customers are churches, both in Italy and abroad. The relationship with the church is very important in this business. Apart from making bells, we have diversified our artistic work. We also operate the Historical Bell Museum. Approximately 30,000 visitors come come to learn more about bell casting every year. This is all part of the Marinelli family’s work.

We don’t have any special certification. Our factory has been functioning for 1,000 thousand years, so this is our certification. We take great care to ensure that all our bells have a perfect finish, out of respect for the past and the long history of our foundry. The name Marinelli is stamped on them, so we can’t afford any faults.

3. Please briefly explain how your profession is related to religious heritage and/or cultural heritage.

AM: The bell was born as the voice of God, a connection between Earth and Heaven. It was very important for men: it rang in the morning to tell people to go to work, at noon when they had to eat and in the evening to indicate that they should go home. It accompanied the shepherds along the transhumance. If you were lost in the woods, hearing the bell could allow you to find the village again. It was also the bell that gave happy and sad news. Until not so long ago it was still used to call the people to gather. Sadly we don’t hear the bells anymore – perhaps too much noise.

4. Please describe the main steps of your usual working process and the materials that you use most.

AM: The bell-making process is very long and complex. There are various stages and each one has its own timing. The whole process of casting a bell takes a minimum of 3 months.

The mould is made up of three fundamental parts: the core or inner mould, the false bell which is the part that will later be filled up with bronze, and the outer mould. To create the moulds, you have to start by delineating the internal shape. This is called the bell’s soul. This part is then covered with clay, creating what we call the “false bell” that will help us delineate and create the outer mould. At this stage we can use plaster to create different decorations, the name of the country, and any other detail the buyer asks for. These decorations are placed on the false bell. And then we apply more clay on the false bell to create the “mantle” or outer mould. The last step is breaking the “false bell” in between the moulds, to free the space where we will pour the bronze.

The fusion is the most important moment. The bronze is melted in an oven at about 1,200ºC and poured carefully into the mould. This is the moment to bless the bell. Preachers often come to say a prayer. In 1995 St John Paul II came to the foundry to visit the litany of his bell.

Then the bell must dry. The drying process is also very slow. The bell mustn’t be exposed to the sun. It should dry as slowly and naturally as possible because if the process is not natural, there is a risk of cracking.

In the end, we have a bell that is unique, there is no such thing as an equal copy in this business. You can make two bells with the same mould at different times and each of them will be unique.

5. Do you regularly cooperate with craft professionals from other fields?

AM: The clapper that produces the sound in the bell used to be hand-forged here at the foundry, but today is forged by specialised companies. There are companies that provide us with computers so that we can digitise the bells, study the shape and give them a good finish in a simpler way. The clapper can be made of bronze, but it is usually iron because it produces a better sound.

Sometimes we also make iron bells and iron bell towers. With these, we need external help too.

6. Please mention any innovation that helped improve your work (technological, digital, material related, legal…) and explain the impact they had on your profession.

AM: It may seem trivial now, but many years ago it was a problem to work out how to get a bell up the bell tower. In the old days, two mountains of sand were made to roll the bell up to the tower. Now a lorry with a crane can lift the bell up the tower in a minute. It seems so insignificant, but these are modern things that have helped us a lot.

Another important change is how we ring the bells. In the past, the bell was rung by the sacristan. Today this is done with a computer. The bell is still the same, but the movement is now made by pressing a button or by programming the times at which it must ring with devices located in the bell tower.

7. How did you learn the profession? Can you detail your learning path mentioning schools and workshops where you were trained?

AM: The world of the Foundry is a special world, you never stop learning. My father was a life coach for me and my brother. We walked this path together. I have always said that in life you gain experience with the sum of the mistakes you make. The more mistakes, the more experience you gain.

I went to technical college which helped me a lot. When I was a kid I used to play at the foundry. It was a bit of a nuisance for our parents, but also part of the Marinelli family DNA. As time went by, the game became a reality and I found myself making bells.

If someone asks from 1 to 1,000 how much have you learned, a bell caster can answer: “I know how to do everything, I understand everything”. And here comes the magic of bell casting, because you may think you’ve learnt everything but then one day comes a failure and you see you have not learnt everything. The only way to move forward is to learn day by day, make mistakes, understand and move on.

8. Do you pass on your knowledge to young people?

AM: We always have visitors who come to the foundry moved by the curiosity of our activities. Our museum is an important part of the foundry and we see that visitors are fortunately increasing more and more. Some of them are very knowledgeable and they really want to understand more about bell casting, and how our foundry and the way of working has survived so long.

We have realised that there is an important part missing in educational institutions: more attention to manual skills. Making children and young people understand that not everything is sitting in front of a computer, but they can use their hands to create extraordinary things. Now that everything is changing this seems like an important mission

9. What would you recommend to a young person interested in your profession?

AM: This is a complicated question. For young people, those entering the labour market today, the future is very uncertain. I have one son who is 30, another who is 27 and the third who is 18. The third one asked me once: “What should I do in the future? I would like to do architecture, but I need 6 years for that, and what will architecture be in 6 years?”. It is very painful for parents to see this situation.

For our children, it is difficult for crafts or any creative craft activity to be taken into serious consideration as a career path. Young people out there are pursuing a profession related to their qualifications and it is a bit difficult to go back and do a job that does not give them the satisfaction of working in what they have studied.

10. Do you think that your profession is threatened and in this case, what are the main threats?

When we were kids, our parents feared that bells would no longer be made. Not because we were no longer making them, but because bells were no longer needed or linked to the church. Let’s say that we are in a sense like a thermometer of faith: the more bells are made closer to the church closer to religion and Christianity we are.

Another problem is the time of production the customer wants. The job used to be done with more serenity. But times are accelerating and our job mirrors that acceleration, especially in our relationship with our customers. They want to have a bell right away, but we have no possibility of making the bells quickly. We dedicate a lot of time to Public Relations and increasing the relationship with the customers. We manage to make them understand how we do our work and why the process needs a certain time. Because this is what defines us, time should not be the most important factor in this business.

Except for the new needs in the relationship with the customers, our work has remained the same for a thousand years. Nothing has changed in terms of techniques and materials. We are tied to 1,000 years of history, and we do not want to break with this tradition. Perhaps this is what makes us modern today, trying to preserve this link with the past.

You can find out more about Campane Marinelli’s work and portfolio on his website  as well as on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Descrivi la tua professione, dando dettagli sui prodotti, i servizi, le competenze specifiche e il saper fare.Mi chiamo Patrizia e applico la mia creatività a molte tecniche: lavoro a maglia, uncinetto, telaio, cucito, ricamo e moto altro ancora. 

Il mio prodotto distintivo però sono cactus, bonsai e fiori che realizzo in stoffa e filati, rinnovando il lavoro a crochet e dandogli una nuova veste, lontana da pizzetti e merletti.  

Che materiali usi? Come e dove te li procuri?Utilizzo di materiali di qualità, come tessuti da arredamento e filati pregiati, che mi ispirano e stimolano la mia creatività.

Descrivi le tecniche, gli strumenti e i materiali che usi nel tuo lavoro.

Qual è il profilo tipico della tua clientela?

A che età e in quali circostanze hai iniziato questo lavoro?Faccio lavori manuali fin da piccola, piccola. Mia madre, che aveva una manualità fuori dal comune, è stata il mio esempio. Lei mi ha insegnato tutto ciò che sapeva con il sorriso e con la gentilezza che possedeva e io ero una spugna. Divertendomi, imparavo molto velocemente.  A 14 anni ero in grado di confezionare maglioni e accessori su ordinazione.

Dove e per quanto tempo sei stato formato prima di essere pronto per iniziare la tua attività? In un istituto di formazione, con un artigiano o entrambi? Quale pensi sia il modo migliore per imparare il tuo lavoro oggi? Scuole, formazione con artigiani …?Ho fatto corsi per diventare padrona della tecnica, prima per la maglieria e poi per il Crochet, ricamo, cucito, pelle, pellicce… Studiavo e poi applicavo quanto appreso alla mia fantasia personale.

Che ruolo hanno “talento” e “creatività” nella tua professione?Sono fondamentali: il lavoro manuale mi dà divertimento e gioia e penso che sia un vero e proprio “balsamo per la mente”. Per questo, circa trent’anni fa, ho anche cominciato a insegnare: prima maglia, poi uncinetto, bigiotteria, pirkka, cucito creativo ecc. Penso che esprimere la propria creatività sia un viatico per il benessere di ciascuno. 

E per quanto riguarda l’innovazione, quali sono i cambiamenti da quando hai iniziato? Utilizzi nuovi materiali, strumenti o processi nella produzione e nel marketing? Qual è l’impatto dell’innovazione sulla tua performance? Come potrebbe la tua professione essere ancora più innovativa?Continuo a sperimentare e migliorare. Evolversi è il mio mantra: mai fermarsi pensando di essere arrivati, ma continuare a sperimentare usando tecniche e strumenti vecchi e nuovi e trasformandosi di continuo. Studiare a fondo i materiali, forme, colori e avvolgere tutto nella creatività.

Qual è il modo migliore per imparare la tua professione?

Qual è il tuo messaggio per le generazioni più giovani che vorrebbero scegliere la tua professione?Il messaggio che vorrei dare è nelle parole di Albert Schweitzer, premio Nobel per la pace: l’esempio non è la cosa che influisce di più sugli altri. È l’unica cosa.

Intervista di Nadia Everard, da cura di Chiara Perini / Mad’in Europe

Mad’In Europe ha avuto il piacere di incontrare Nadia Everard, giovane ragazza con due lauree magistrali in Architettura e in Art & Design , fondatrice e presidente de’ “La Table Ronde de l’Architecture”, la quale ha condiviso con noi la sua visione sulla relazione tra architettura, artigianato e sostenibilità.

D: Nadia, puoi raccontarci del tuo lavoro e della tua professione come architetto?

R: In realtà, non considero me stessa come un architetto, ma più come una costruttrice. Ho studiato architettura a Bruxelles e a Londra, infine ho conseguito due lauree magistrali: una in Architettura ed un altra in Art & Design. Ora sto lavorando in collaborazione con molti architetti come consulente in tecniche di costruzione naturale e architettura d’interni. Sono specializzata in ornamenti, pitture e ceramiche, per questo spesso lavoro con artigiani professionali. Insieme esploriamo le tradizioni locali nell’uso del legno, della ceramica, della calce, ed altri materiali naturali, facendo in modo che altri professionisti li ricoprano attraverso i corsi di perfezionamento. Nei miei progetti di costruzione, mi piace prendermi cura di tutto, dall’inizio alla fine, inclusi i piccoli dettagli.

D: Come vedi oggi l’architettura?

A: Penso che oggi l’architettura abbia perso il suo valore, e lo vedo come un terribile problema. Nel mio paese molti edifici recenti non durano più di 20 anni! Per secoli abbiamo costruito per le generazioni future. Tuttavia, vedo una speranza, perché in alcuni paesi insegnano l’architettura in modo diverso, e questo è quello che facciamo nella nostra associazione, mostriamo l’architettura in una prospettiva diversa, tornando indietro verso la grande architettura nata per durare.

D: Parlaci della tua associazione.

R: Una delle missioni della nostra associazione è di difendere la “buona architettura”, quella che mira a durare nel tempo grazie al suo valore piuttosto che a generare profitto.

In questa prospettiva, noi organizziamo classi per giovani e per meno giovani che vogliono saperne di più sulla “buona architettura”.  Alcuni di loro vogliono fare architettura, altri scelgono le professioni artigianali. Alcuni preferiscono intraprendere un’attività commerciale o legale, ma condividono i nostri valori e vengono per interesse personale.

D: Qual è stato il tuo obiettivo nell’organizzare l’“Architecture Summer School”?

R: L’associazione esiste da più di due anni e il 2022 è stato in nostro terzo anno di corso estivo. Ha avuto luogo per cinque settimane e i partecipanti sono arrivati da ogni parte del mondo: Brasile, Romania, Svezia, Belgio, Francia, Bangladesh e altri. Questo incontro internazionale è stato molto ricco in quanto a scambi culturali, approcci estetici e tecniche di costruzione. Abbiamo potuto esplorare i principi di base e le tecniche della “buona architettura”, sapendo che saranno reinterpretati a seconda dei diversi contesti culturali. Alcuni corsi sono stati tenuti da professionisti altamente qualificati nei mestieri artigianali tradizionali, come Jean Marie Tong, falegname, Christophe Mahy, tagliapietre, e Peter Van Cronenburg, uno dei migliori fabbri del Belgio. È importante per noi coinvolgere professionisti con forti competenze e conoscenza dei materiali. Artigianato e “buona architettura” possono insieme cambiare il nostro approccio all’edilizia.

D: Qual è il feedback delle vostre attività?

R: Ogni anno abbiamo sempre più studenti. Vorremmo sviluppare un progetto con la città di Bruges per aprire una scuola di artigianato, urbanistica e architettura, e forse anche un’università. Il fatto che non ci sia una scuola di architettura nella zona è una grande opportunità.

D: Qual è il ruolo della sostenibilità nella vostra classe?

R: Come ho già detto, la “buona architettura” basata sull’artigianato tradizionale che promuoviamo incorpora molti valori sostenibili.  Edifici di lunga durata, materiali naturali, fonti locali, professionisti dell’artigianato locale, tecniche sostenibili, meno rifiuti e trasporti, risparmio energetico… L’importanza di tutto questo si basa sul “buon senso”.  Questo approccio dovrebbe essere insegnato nelle scuole primarie e anche dai genitori. In alcuni Paesi, come il Regno Unito, l’artigianato è molto più sviluppato e valorizzato grazie alla scuola e all’istruzione. Dovremmo imparare da loro.

D: Hai ottenuto sovvenzioni per una casa ristrutturata in modo sostenibile. Può fare qualche esempio di tecniche e materiali eco-compatibili che ha utilizzato in questo progetto?

R: Certo, per esempio, in questo progetto non è stato usato cemento Portland e il metallo è stato utilizzato solo per la decorazione, non per la costruzione. L’edificio prima era un fienile, quindi abbiamo mantenuto i vecchi muri in pietra. Per l’isolamento abbiamo usato canapa mescolata con calce, sabbia , acqua e anche alcuni mattoni saccheggiati. Con questi materiali, l’edificio mantiene la sua capacità di respirare, ed è quindi meno minacciato dall’umidità rispetto agli edifici in cemento.  Lo stesso vale per il pavimento, fatto di argilla e calce, e per le superfici che sono ricoperte di argilla. La capriata è stata stata restaurata per quanto possibile con legno vecchio riutilizzato. Infine, l’isolamento del tetto è realizzato solo con fibre di legno e senza materiali derivati dal petrolio. Le persone e gli artigiani che hanno lavorato con noi vengono da un perimetro massimo si 40 chilometri.

Q: Mad’in Europe è un membro del New European Bauhaus, cosa pensi dell’impegno di Mad’in Europe nel promuovere l’artigianato edile tradizionale come professione “sostenibile”?

R: Penso che sia fantastico che Mad’in Europe sia coinvolto nella sostenibilità, e che raccolga tutto l’artigianato in un portale europeo. Spero che continui a crescere. Penso che uno dei principali problemi per i professionisti dell’artigianato sia quello di fare networking e di essere in contatto con altri professionisti. Loro hanno molta passione per quello che fanno, ma non sempre essa è ricompensata dai ricavi, credo che dovrebbero trovare in Mad’in Europe più opportunità di lavoro. Inoltre, questo strumento digitale può incoraggiarli a rivolgersi alle giovani generazioni per insegnare e trasferire loro le proprie competenze e il proprio know-how. Gli strumenti digitali possono mettere in contatto gli artigiani esperti con le nuove generazioni, con il massimo beneficio per l’intera società.

• Description synthétique de l’œuvre

Dôme en vitrail traditionnel (6m Dia.), portions peintes et sablées

• Description détaillée de l’oeuvre (2093/4000)

L’oeuvre est une coupole de six mètres de diamètre et d’un mètre trente de flèche en vitrail traditionnel.

Elle a été imaginée par Eric Bonte, maître verrier depuis 1979 et réalisée par les équipes d’artisans d’art de France Vitrail international à Courbevoie.

Le dôme se divise en huit arcades vitrées, quatre grandes et quatre plus petites, autour d’un rond central. L’idée est de reproduire l’impression d’un tableau ancien, peinture centrale avec un cadre en bois sculpté autour.

Ainsi huit colonnes et une frise en partie basse ponctuent la coupole, l’encadrent, parties peintes avec des effets de faux marbres, de motifs de feuilles d’acanthe ou de style….

Ces baies sont habillées de vitraux sertis au plomb. Contemporaine, elle laissent apparaître des corps dessinés en verre sablés et à la peinture, au milieu des nuages. Le sujet est une rêverie, une promenade dans les cieux, nuages, nuées et ciels étoilés, peuplés de figures féminines, visions héritées de souvenirs picturaux, ou femmes rêvées, fantasmées, glorifiées. Au centre, l’oeil du cyclone, laisse place à une nuit étoilée.

Le travail classique du vitrail est représenté : utilisation de verres de différentes couleurs et textures, sertissage au plomb, mais aussi peinture à la grisaille, aux émaux, gravure au sablage et à l’acide. Eric voulait jouer avec la lumière, rompre les transparences, accrocher l’œil sur des brillances, moduler les opalescences, suggérer des silhouettes, donner à voir des personnages, inviter au voyage et perdre le spectateur sous la voûte étoilée …

L’armature en métal, également créée à l’atelier, est habillée de baguettes décoratives en bois patiné à la feuille d’argent. Le châssis est en outre, entièrement démontable. Cela permet un transport et une installation, même temporaire, simple et rapide.

Des coupoles de toutes tailles ont été réalisées depuis près de quarante ans par France Vitrail International, elles décorent en majesté des intérieurs partout dans le monde.

« France Vitrail International entretien et exporte le goût et l’art de vivre français.»

• Dimensions de l’oeuvre

600 x600 x130 cm

• Matériaux utilisés dans la fabrication de l’oeuvre (282/800)

Verres antique, verres cathédral, verres texturés, pâtes de verre, sable, corindon, acide fluorhydrique, peintures, émaux, jaune à l’argent, grisailles , profilés de plombs, étains, mastics, sciure de bois, métal, fers T, cornières, laque époxy, bois, patines et feuilles d’argent

• Dans quelle démarche créative l’œuvre s’inscrit-elle ? (1402/2500)

Eric Bonte est en quête perpétuelle, artistique, technique. Il est un passionné, amoureux du travail bien fait. Sous sa direction, l’atelier crée, réalise, et pose au service d’une passion : le jeu infini de la lumière, de la couleur, de la matière verre, privilégiant toujours la qualité artistique et technique, mettant son savoir faire au service des projets de ses clients, fussent-ils les plus fous. 

Avec ce dôme il met son savoir faire à son propre service, cherchant à aller toujours plus loin dans le jeu infini de la lumière, de la couleur, dans la découverte du matériau verre, privilégiant comme toujours la qualité artistique, poussant plus loin encore la prouesse technique.

Cette rêverie exprime sa propre liberté, son audace pour expérimenter des effets nouveaux, pour détourner des techniques traditionnelles et les adapter à des rendus plus contemporains. Avec lui le vitrail se dépoussière, s’inscrit dans la quête de la beauté intemporelle propre à l’art.

Le vitrail est une technique, comme le sont la sculpture, la peinture. Eric Bonte explore cette technique pour livrer son univers personnel. 

L’univers est un cadeau dans lequel se perdre, à la découverte de la beauté présente en toute chose, pour qui accepte le voyage, en compagnie de femmes intemporelles qui favorisent des rêveries infinies, éveil au monde, éveil à l’amour, éveil à la Vie, une sensualité poétique

• Description détaillée des techniques utilisées dans la fabrication de l’oeuvre (2030/4000)

Les techniques utilisées pour la fabrication de cette rêverie céleste sont celles des maîtres verriers vitraillistes.

Nous réalisons majoritairement des pièces uniques à la demande de nos clients. Nous commençons toujours un projet par une maquette au 1/10, dessin à la main coloré aux écolines ou travaillé à la palette graphique. Cette maquette sert de base à la création, d’un point de vue technique mais aussi artistique.

Un carton grandeur sur papier fort, calibré au ciseau à trois lames, pour obtenir les calibres précis qui permettront la coupe des verres.

Le choix des feuilles de verre, la répartition des calibres selon les feuilles de verre choisies.

La coupe des pièces, à la main, au diamant ou à la roulette

L’oeuvre présentée comporte des pièces peintes. La peinture des pièces : d’abord le travail de trait à la grisaille, puis le travail de modelé avec grisailles, émaux, jaune à l’argent selon les effets souhaités, avec toutes les cuissons nécessaires à 620° pour vitrification.

La coupole se compose également de verres gravés. Pour cela, nous créons des pochoirs que nous découpons à la main. Ces pochoirs sont ensuite collés sur le verre désigné, puis sablés. Au fur et à mesure, le sable grave le verre pour donner naissance au dessin choisi. Selon les effets requis, nous utilisons également de l’acide fluorhydrique.

Lorsque tous les morceaux de verre sont artistiquement à notre goût, la phase d’assemblage commence. Les panneaux du dôme sont tous sertis au plomb et mastiqués des deux cotés. Toutes les étapes de la fabrication d’un vitrail sont scrupuleusement respectées.

Le montage des panneaux est très important pour sa solidité finale, surtout pour un plafond. Des renforts type vergettes sont fixés sur les panneaux, à l’ancienne, par soudures en rosette sur les plombs.

Pour ce dôme, pour lequel nous avons également créé l’armature en métal, les savoir faire de ferronnier d’art sont également sollicités. Les fers sont coupés, cintrés, assemblés par soudures, idem pour les cornières.

• Dans quelle mesure ces techniques sont innovantes et/ou participent à l’évolution de votre savoir-faire ? (1987/2000)

Il s’agit de faire évoluer une technique pour l’adapter à une conception artistique contemporaine.

Plus exactement, il s’agit de ne pas limiter une technique à ce pourquoi on la destine traditionnellement. Ainsi le vitrail est né de l’envie des religieux chrétiens d’orner leurs églises, aux grandes baies, et de raconter l’histoire biblique comme un livre d’images en lumière.

La peinture également fut religieuse, puis la liberté créatrice des artistes les a emmené vers la reproduction de scènes plus profanes, voire guerrières, avec personnages, ou sans, nature morte ou paysages champêtres … la technique a évolué selon les styles, classique, impressionniste, surréaliste, pop art, street art … Le vitrail est lui souvent perçu comme réservé à l’art religieux.

Eric Bonte ne se donne aucune limite.

Le verre est un matériau avec lequel il joue. Il mêle tous les types de verre, pour augmenter les jeux de transparence, d’opalescence, de matité et de brillance.

Il peint au pinceau. Il sertit le verre en jouant graphiquement sur des largeurs de profilés différentes à l’intérieur d’un même panneau. Il rajoute des plombs supplémentaires par des techniques de collage.   

La mise en volume des vitraux est également novatrice. Le châssis sert la composition. Le châssis pensé par notre maître verrier est entièrement démontable. Permettant son installation en quelques heures seulement et sur plan. Elle est d’ailleurs transportable en deux caisses de bois (châssis et vitraux) comme toutes les créations monumentales de notre atelier. En ce contexte particulier d’exportation, cette évolution nous permet de commercer avec des pays lointains ou en quarantaine.

France Vitrail International est, enfin, ouvert aux nouvelles technologies, avec l’utilisation d’une tablette graphique afin de faire évoluer les techniques et d’accroître la productivité de nos équipes.

• Où se trouve l’oeuvre présentée ? (265/400)

L’oeuvre présentée est exposée à l’atelier France Vitrail International à Courbevoie (Paris-La Défense). Nos équipes travaillent actuellement, sous cette coupole, à la création d’un nouveau dôme en vitrail, plus classique celui là, pour un client du moyen orient.

Nous sommes spécialisés dans la création de plafonds et coupoles en vitrail et autres projets de grande ampleur, mais ne sommes pas cantonnés à ce type de chantiers. Nous réalisons également des fenêtres de vitrerie classique, des mises en double vitrage ou des restaurations de vitraux anciens, classés ou non. Nous travaillons avec des syndicats de copropriété, des décorateurs, des menuisiers ou encore des architectes afin de répondre à toutes les demandes, quelques soit le public, le style ou la mise en oeuvre.

Nous nous efforçons de faire rayonner le savoir faire français à travers le monde et le temps.

“Esta técnica ha estado a punto de desaparecer, pero se percibe un cambio que por mi parte y por organizaciones como Mad’in Europe y otras, estamos intentando impulsar”

¿Cómo se puede describir la bóveda? ¿Puede decirnos dónde se encontró esta técnica primero y cuando?
Hay varias técnicas para realizar bóvedas, de hormigón, de piedra labrada o mampuesta, de ladrillo a sardinel y las tabicadas. La diferencia entre las de hormigón y las de piedra és evidente, pero las de sardinel y tabicadas se realizan ambas con ladrillos cerámicos y se distinguen solo por la manera de colocar el ladrillo, en las de sardinel los ladrillos se colocan de canto (como las hojas de un libro en que cada hoja es una rasilla o ladrillo) y en las tabicadas es como si en el símil de las hojas del libro las colocásemos una al lado de otra encima de una mesa, solo que con los ladrillos generamos una superficie curvada que se sostiene por si sola. Siguiendo con el símil del libro, en el caso de las bóvedas a sardinel, las hojas o ladrillos generan una superficie de un grosor considerable (la altura de libro o la altura del ladrillo) y las bóvedas tabicadas tienen solo el grosor de la hoja o del ladrillo, con lo que se entiende su extrema delgadez (de ahí el nombre de tabicadas refiriéndose a un tabique o pared delgada).

Para conseguir la suficiente resistencia hay colocar dos, tres o a veces más capas para que tenga la resistencia necesaria, pero aún así siguen siendo más delgadas que las otras. La traducción al catalán de bóveda tabicada es “volta de maó de pla” (bóveda de ladrillo puesto plano) refiriéndose a la forma de colocarlo, plano y no de canto. La bóveda tabicada recibe también varios nombres; bóveda a la catalana o “volta catalana” volta foglia en Italia, bóveda sarracena en el sur de Francia, Bóveda extremeña…etc. Referente a sus orígenes no esta muy claro, si fueron los romanos o los árabes, pues su ámbito común es el mediterráneo. Los romanos empleaban un sistema, que se cree que evolucionó hasta la bóveda tabicada, Consistia en colocar primero dos capas de ladrillos planos encima de los encofrados de madera para realizar puentes o bóvedas. Estas capas de ladrillos, al formar arcos, ahorraban la transmisión de peso al encofrado de madera permitiendo colocar las piedras y hormigón que conformaria el puente empleando un encofrado más liviano, pues las dos capas de ladrillo colaboraban en soportar el peso del puente, permitiendo ahorrar madera en el encofrado.

¿Dónde encontramos bóvedas hoy? ¿En qué tipo de arquitectura?
Privada, publica… para techos, escaleras…La técnica de la que podeos llamar Bóveda Catalana, a pasado por épocas de auge y declive. Hace poco estaba en declive pero parece que actualmente se esta invirtiendo la “gráfica” Se usó mucho en el modernismo catalán en todo tipo de arquitectura desde la más humilde a la más suntuosa, para cubrir grandes espacios o realizar pequeñas escaleras. Los arquitectos más celebres del momento la utilizaron. Rafael Guastavino la exportó a Estados Unidos donde tomó gran auge, llegando incluso a patentarla con su nombre “Guastavino System”

¿Hay diferencias territoriales entre ellas? ¿Hay diferentes bóvedas?

Si, como he comentado anteriormente las bóvedas tabicadas estan muy extendidas por el mediterráneo, con un foco muy importante en Cataluña, y las de Sardinel en zonas más orientales y en Méjico. Las superfícies abovedadas posibles son infinitas, pues empiezan con formas geométricas hasta formas orgánicas, donde el limite es la imaginación. Esta cualidad la tiene sobre otras la bóveda tabicada.

¿Qué materiales se usan para construir una bóveda? ¿Y cuáles son las técnicas?

La gran ventaja de la bóveda catalana es que es posible realizarla incluso donde escasean los recursos, pues basta con arcilla para realizar los ladrillos y un aglomerante para pegarlos, Yeso, Mortero… El nombre que damos a la bóveda define la forma, en algunos casos, y la técnica que se usa para realizarla en otros. Por ejemplo, cuando hablamos de Bóveda tabicada, estamos describiendo una técnica y cuando hablamos de bóveda de casquete esférico (por ejemplo) nos referimos a la forma sin concretar la técnica.

¿Cuáles son las características y los ventajes de la bóveda?

Ecológicos, económicos, estéticos, técnicos… la bóveda tabicada los reúne todos.

Ecológicos; porque los materiales que se necesitan para su realización son más sostenibles y la temperatura necesaria para fabricar yeso o cemento natural, és muy inferior a la necesaria para fabricar cemento Portland. Económicos; por su rapidez en la ejecución. Estéticos; Son muy evidentes, pues una superficie abovedada es ya de por sí atrayente a la vista. Técnicos; Permite cubrir grandes luces sin tener que realizar grandes refuerzos estructurales.

¿Cómo y en cuanto tiempo un aprendiz puede hacerse maestro? ¿Cuáles son los requisitos para ser aprendiz?

El tiempo va en proporción de la habilidad de quien quiera aprender y las veces que tenga la oportunidad de realizarlas. Lo primero que hay que aprender es el oficio de albañil. Con ello aprendes cosas que después aplicaras para construir una bóveda. Por ejemplo, dominio y habilidad en el uso de las herramientas, Conocer el grado de humedad justo que deben tener los ladrillos y desarrollar la intuición necesaria para controlar que no colapse durante su construcción, ya que es el momento de más peligro para que ocurra.

¿Qué oportunidades profesionales existen después de haber aprendido la técnica? Hay trabajo ?

No muchas. Estamos hablando de una tècnica en desuso. Yo llevo 50 años en el oficio y he realizado muchísimas bóvedas, pero no hubiese podido vivir solo de construir bóvedas. Últimament parece que poco a poco va cambiando la tendencia.

¿Enseñas esta técnica? ¿Dónde? ¿En tu taller? ¿En una escuela? ¿Cuál es el perfil de tus aprendices?

Si la enseño a traves de varias escuelas de oficios tradicionales impartiendo cursos en:

• Escola Origens de Les Planes d’Hóstoles (Girona) https://www.facebook.com/OrigensETB/
• en la asociación: Grupo para la Recuperación y Estudio de la Tradición Arquitectónica (GRETA) https://www.projectegreta.cat/ca/
• En el Museu del Ciment de castellar de n’ nuc https://museuciment.cat/ca/jornada-tecnica-la-volta-catalana/
• y algún curso en mi taller.

El perfil va desde peones que quieren aprender, pasando por albañiles que quieren perfeccionar su técnica a arquitectos que quieren adquirir el conocimiento de la misma.

¿Qué amenazas existen para el trabajo artesanal de la bóveda?

La falta de conocimiento de los arquitectos y otros profesionales.