La porcelaine de Limoges et la création contemporaine

This film reveals the secrets of Limoges porcelain making! Jean-Paul Tarrade, director of the La Seynie porcelain factory, invites us on a unique tour of the oldest factory in Saint-Yrieix still in operation today. A true bridge between the past and the present, the La Seynie Limoges porcelain factory, founded in 1774 in Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche, is still active today under the name LS Art et Création. Faced with global competition and evolving consumer trends, its production, initially dedicated to tableware, has shifted in recent years towards contemporary creation. It lends its expertise to artists to create original porcelain pieces. It also creates luxury tableware for Michelin-starred chefs, designed by renowned designers. Its director, Jean-Paul Tarrade, explains the different stages involved in creating a piece. Regarding the steps involved in producing a porcelain piece: We'll start with modeling. Modeling is a technique that requires passion, experience, and, of course, technical skill. The model will be created from a sketch, perhaps from an original design, or from a mold of an existing piece. The second step is creating the production mold. The third step is casting the modeled piece into this production mold. When I say casting, I mean the integration of what is called slip in the industry. This slip is kaolin mixed with feldspar, quartz, and water. It's a liquid paste. Once the clay has formed a crust inside the mold, we remove, or empty, the remaining liquid that has accumulated in the mold. After another waiting period, we move on to unmolding. Unmolding allows us to remove the piece and let it dry. Then we perform the finishing. What is finishing? It's removing all traces left by the mold on the cast piece. After finishing, the piece undergoes a first firing. The temperature will be around 900 degrees Celsius, which will give the piece a rigid consistency. From there, two options are possible: the option of leaving the piece as is for the final firing, which will be around 1352 degrees Celsius. This will result in a piece that is called "biscuit" or a piece that will be glazed, which is a separate process. This process involves dipping the piece in a glazing bath. Next, it's placed in the kiln, called a high-fire kiln. Here, a refraction phenomenon occurs inside the kiln, and the piece you put in will emerge with a perfectly uniform 14% reduction in size. After this process, there's another quality control step. Because high-fire kilns often produce imperfections, a very important sorting process is necessary to determine which pieces will be offered to the end customer. From there, you can either sell it—which we can do in white, directly glazed, or as a bisque—or proceed with the decoration. And then, depending on the pieces being made, the decoration technique must be considered, which is also very important because, depending on the pigments you use, the piece may require two, three, or even four firings. So, before reaching the final result, you realize the number of steps involved. ******************************** Did you find this video interesting? Subscribe to this YouTube channel! Find all our heritage videos here: https://www.patrimoine-nouvelle-aquit... Discover the other videos in this video guide series:    • Destination Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche   Also discover all our videos on this topic:    • Patrimoine industriel et artisanal   More information about LS art et création: https://www.lsartetcreation.com/