The house of paper

Launched by poet and writer Paul Claudel, the Villa Kujoyama in Kyoto is one of the most prestigious French artistic residences abroad. Coordinated by the Institut Français and supported by the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation, each year it hosts creatives looking to develop an intercultural project related to Japan for a duration of two to six months. Such was the case for Laurel Parker and Paul Chamard, who were selected in 2019. These two artists work together under the name Laurel Parker Book and publish artisanal books that are true objets d’art. Their interest in paper led them to Japan, where the use of this material is quite different than in France: in the Western world, paper is a base for writing or printing, whereas, in Japan, it is used to make thin partitions for homes, mounted on lightweight wooden frames. Our two Westerners thus moved from the flat surface of books, which were familiar to them, to the three-dimensional space of a paper house. 
Fascinated by Washi paper, which is made from mulberry fibers, Laurel Parker and Paul Chamard learned its secrets from local artisans. Following their residence, the “Inside-Outside #2” exhibition was born, which reproduces a Japanese interior, along with everyday objects entirely made of paper. Thus, the traditional kimono is reinterpreted in waxed paper, which gives it a “sakura” pink color, like cherry trees in bloom. The tatamis, which are normally made from straw, are in crinkled paper, following the Momigami technique. The same applies to the paper trompe-l’œil blinds, instead of in traditional wood or bamboo. Adding an ecological component to their exploration of the Japanese art of living, these two artists crafted Tetra-Pak packaging in washi paper covered in beeswax, like sculptures that challenge our everyday habits. Tetra Pak is basically an origami made from laminated cardboard…This fragile and subtle installation will be on display at the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature from September 16-18.