Lice tapestry is a textile object rooted in traditional craftsmanship, where the licier’s gesture comes into play after receiving a cartoon. From this model, the material, color, and weaving technique are determined. But what if we reversed the creative process? What message could the lice tapestry, as a historical object of discourse and representation, convey about our current era and to future generations? What if the artisan’s gesture was used to celebrate sustainable practices and the reuse of materials, rather than merely weaving a copy of a model?

For this residency, Lauriane Obry experiments with a weaving protocol where local resources dictate the weaving pattern, and the cartoon is only introduced at the end. By focusing on French hemp yarn production and the use of natural dyes, she explores new ways of applying her expertise; the gesture and technique of lice go beyond the loom and are incorporated into a network of new partners.

Lauriane Obry is a recipient of the Agora du Design project-based research grant, a graduate of ENSCI – Les Ateliers in Contemporary Creation & Technology, and a licier artist trained at the Gobelins manufactory. Straddling technique and technology, she creates weavings and installations featuring large lice tapestries, aiming to offer a new perspective on this heritage object. By emphasizing the artisan’s gesture as a skill of adaptation, she harnesses materials and resources that reflect the current era, renewing the forms and uses of the traditional woven object.