Sometimes it requires a major event in order to bring out the artist hidden in some people. Moved by the tragic events of 11 March, 2011 (earthquakes, tsunami and nuclear power plant explosion of Fukushima) while living in Tokyo, Mademoiselle Maurice decided to start composing her artistic and urban works in connection with these facts.

Now based in Paris, Mademoiselle Maurice develops and creates in her mini play countless colorful works with the knowledge gathered from seeing things around and her past experiences. Using origami, lacing, embroidery and other mixed media, she gives birth to works inspired from her day-to-day life. The mediums of her art are paper and thread, she loves to shape these natural materials in a complex manner, thus creating beautiful artworks.

According to her website, “Light in appearance, the work of Mademoiselle Maurice proposes to raise many questions about human nature and the interactions that sustain people and the environment. Breath of fresh air with true evolutionary thinking, artistic approach of Mademoiselle Maurice opens, paving colors duality as attractive as a repulsive reality, wide spaces of abstracts in the city.”

Have a look at the pictures below to know how the art of origami and embroidery can be used to express or pass on a message. Read on our exclusive interview to know more about the artist, right from the horse's mouth.

1. Hi Mademoiselle Maurice, please introduce yourself to our readers.

Hey! I am a french Artist, Creating a lot of different installations, outdoor or indoor, Working with paper, threads and spectrum colors.

I work with everything in connection with human and nature, and the interaction of the both.

2. How did you get into the world of origami? Did you always have a love for the art?

I discovered Origami during my year in Japan, in some books. It was amazing to create something with a simple sheet of paper. I like to work with simple and modest material, that you can recycle.

I love to draw, to create. What I did all the time when I was child, is to create something with pieces of, in the garage of my grand-father, or do some strange things with the threads of the cow's fiel around my home.

My grand parents were farmers and I grew up with them, so I was always outside, running in fields, taking care of animals, dreaming, and so, all the element of the nature was an inspiration to create (sheet's tree, flower, grass... etc)

3. What prompted you to create the "A Stadium In Athena”? How long did the project take?

This crazy project given to me by the organization "ACTION AID", an international association, and that was to celebrate the 15th birthday of ACTION AID in Greece.

They asked me to create something and I was totally interested.

The location of the Olympic stadium was very unexpected and decided at the last moment. In days before my venture, some volunteers of Action Aid folded hundreds of origamis. After that, I had 2 days to discover the place, imagine a design on it and create it.

Most of the folding has been pasted in one day, all this was made possible only because of the help of hundreds of volunteers. It was a sunny day in Autumn, a beautiful day and a good project for this beautiful association.


4. Origami is not a art natively learnt by everybody. So do you train your volunteers?

Generally, except for participative project, I create myself all the origamis which are necessary..

It's when I have an assignment of a participative project, the volunteers can learn to fold thanks to video on intern-command for a participative project, the volunteers can learn to fold thanks to video on internet, origamis books and thanks to the help of cultural mediator. Learning to fold demands a very long time, patience, and you can learn in a big group..

Personally, I prefer concentrating on the design, the colors, the final result ad all the process, including communication with the people, explaining them the origin of my work, and why I do that, about vulnerability of the nature, importance of our relation with it, solidarity.

Creating something is good, but knowing why we do it and the message behind makes it better.

5. How do you select the place and design for setting up your origami art installations?

If it's a professional assignment, generally, people have an idea of the place but otherwise, I just choose wall, whichever i feel like choosing. That is if I like the place, if something happens there, if the wall inspires me, and it must be a large surface.

More over I keep searching wall which need colors.

6. Depending on the size of the project, it can be a long and laborious one. On an average how long does it take you to finish a project?

What is very laborious is all the preparation.

I have to find the paper, cut it in square, After that I have to fold everything, and sometimes all this takes a time of several weeks... with painful hands but it's OK and folding is like meditation for me, I like it!

After the installation I need only one day, the final stage is very fast, between 3 and 7 hours.

7. Your project "Palais de Tokyo" is so different from your other projects. Tell us something about this project.

Yes this project was particular and very special. First, the location, in one of the most famous Parisian Museum: Le Palais de Tokyo.

And the idea of this project was to create something on a big surface but there was no wall.
And because of the institution, I wanted to create something more like a "sculpture", an installation.
I really like when you are in a museum and turn around an installation, and watch it like a new world.
That's what I wanted to create. So I imagined some continent of sand.

This project was participative, so people came and learnt to fold, but it was important that they create something together, and that there was some social and positive connection. So the idea was to write a word, a thinking, a wish for someone on a paper sheet and to fold the sheet.

I was there to put all the origamis on the sand, depicting flowers, or human souls...

The origamis were in 3d to play with volume and "kissing" the space.

It was like the creation of a new world, like a realistic utopia.





8. Tell us about your "Asubakatchin" and "Lace Abstract Mapworld" project which are so different from your origami projects?

These projects are the beginning of long series.

I began to work with threads before paper.

Threads fascinate me and appear like a crazy link with everything.

I like to work with threads because, history of the world says that people are creating threads with natural elements and producing fabric from the olden times. So connection with an ancestral technique works positively for me.

I learnt the traditional lace with bobbins, and I wanted to give a more contemporary touch to it.
Therefore, all this work is about the beautiful but complex sometimes painful relationship.

Each thread is like a way of life, one person, threads are together, closed, far, some knots are created, the threads continue, and threads are cut, life is ephemeral and fragile.

Asubakatchin

Lace Abstract Mapworld

9. When you are not working on your artwork how do you unwind? What do you find most relaxing?

I usually don't have a lot of time to relax myself. When I can do it I like spend time with friends, do things together with them, or visit my family in the mountains.

But the most relaxing thing is to stay alone or with my sister, in our chalet, in a field, on the mountains, and say nothing, just enjoy the moment and stay together.

Actually I mix work and travelling.. I am for some months in California to improve my English, so when I don't fold I walk a lot in the city, go to visit and be the perfect tourist visiting the crazy places of this beautiful region, it's tiring but really relaxing too, like some oxygen for the brain?

10. What other artists do you look up to? If you could peek into the studio of another artist and collaborate with him / her who would it be?

I admire a lot of artists, they are generally street artist. I really like the work of Maya Hayuk, the work of the duo ETAM... Some other artists like Gabriel Dawe are crazy too..

I don't know which artist I would like collaborate with, I am a little conscious about creations, but it would be great to see how some artist like the ETAM crew create their giant walls.

11. What are your future plans as a artist? Are you working on any cool new projects?

Actually I have some exhibition to prepare for a Sweden Gallery and French Gallery (Backside Gallery at Marseille), so there is a lot of work. Also I have a big project in progress with a Japanese creator , and other projects as well which require a lot of time...

And I want to continue to install in the streets for pleasure and try some new things with new materials.

12. What message would you like to pass on to the aspiring and budding generation of artists?

I have nothing to say to the other artists except to listen to themselves and do what they want to do without stopping.

I consider myself like a "young and aspiring artist", it's just like trying to stay on the wave before it break down on the rocks... So I enjoy, and work again and again and do what "I have to do". I need to create.

Mademoiselle Maurice, thanks for such an extensive interview. It was a great experience learning about you. Wish you good luck!   

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