Exposition d’une pièce textile de Myriam Balaÿ pour Du Proche et du Lointain , lauréate du concours organisé par le Lyceum Club International et la SEMA ( Société d’encouragement aux métiers d’art, bd Daumesnil, Paris, 1998)

Du Proche et du Lointain expresses above all the idea of a journey

…within the space, since we are working in a remote place of South India, in the very heart of traditional handweaving craftmanship that combines freedom and strict rules, imagination and usefulness.

…along the time, since we are taking advantage of ancient skills and working rythm.

If we are looking for authenticity, we are eager to root our work in the present time, which means that we explore contemporary graphic structures, style … and that we play with textures and colour dynamics.

 Each peace of work we produce – about 200 a year – is unique, expressing a particular intention and/or answering a precise need : claustra, door coverings, bedroom carpets, wall hanging …

Among professionals who welcome our work are :

in London, Maryse Boxer at Maison Joseph, David Champion, Egg

in Paris, Galerie Néotu, Galerie Frédéric de Luca, Ebène Macassar, La maison sur l’eau (Agnès B)

in New York, Mona Kim Studio

in Aix en Provence, Designers Studio

Myriam Balaÿ Devidal. Pièces artisanales Textiles.

Putting up the loom. Parts are not all classified. Ravi,

hesitant at first, then adjusting spare parts to the body of the loom.

Then, threading work begins followed by colour work

On the way to the yarn dealer, one has to cross

a large government owned swampland ( remains of a disused

british canal ).

In the near future, this aera will be devoted to industrial activity,

which implies draining the marsh.

Ravi doesn’t know wether it will be good or evil.

At the colour shopkeeper. Ravi parks his scooter.

Too much traffic around there.

The old town is looking as if underwater.

We arrive around closing time, some clients are still there. One of them asks for a special blend and tests carelessly the quality and consistency of the mixture. Ravi whispers to me : look, he’s about to taste it !

Ravi had the loom set in the main room of his house. He laid down a pair of mats on each side of the loom, as if to wath over it during the night when work is over.

Ravi wakes up in the morning and wipes off the dust that fell upon the warp during the night.

At last, the work of the thread.

ée. Coton, 120x180cm

avid Champion, Londres. Coton&jute, 148x226c

Myriam Balaÿ Devidal, born in 1968.
Graduated from St-Etienne Fine Arts school (industrial products design).
TV and cinema set decorator for many years.
Now fully involved in creation and style with Du proche et du lointain.

Myriam Balaÿ Devidal,née en 1968.
Etudes à l’école des Beaux Arts de St-Étienne (design de produits industriels).
Elle se lance dans la décoration pour le théâtre et le cinéma avant de développer de multiples projets dans le domaine de la création textile : ils se concrétisent avec Du proche et du lointain.

Myriam Devidal
Pièces artisanales textile
Madras, Inde
1996-1999

Copyright. (c) Du proche et et du lointain / Myriam Balaÿ Devidal