It was a set of glasses that first led Faigenbaum to Saint-Louis. In his childhood he was fascinated by a multicoloured set of roemers (Alsatian white wine glasses) from the Tommy collection that his aunt had received as a wedding present, so in 2022 photographer Patrick Faigenbaum undertook a residency at the Cristallerie Saint-Louis where they were made. Over the course of his successive stays at the site, he took a series of photographs that are now on display at La Grande Place, inside the workshop itself. There, the images interact with the historical collections of the Cristallerie, which include the Tommy glasses of his childhood.
Soberly entitled “Patrick Faigenbaum at the Cristallerie Saint-Louis”, the exhibition features a selection of prints and two slide shows dedicated to the centuries-old craft unique to this site and its settings. Combining a documentary approach with a mastery of composition, Patrick Faigenbaum has taken a particular interest in the environment of the Vosges du Nord, whose abundant natural resources spurred on the creation of glassworks in the 16th century. His approach also highlights the many skills that glassmakers continue to pass down from one generation to the next: the same gestures captured by Faigenbaum's lens are used day in, day out, amidst the continuous hum of the workshop.
A number of the images play upon the historical echoes that resonate within La Grande Place by presenting compositions of glasses from different periods. Whilst studying the extensive collections of the museum, particular pieces caught the photographer's eye with their craftsmanship, colours and shapes. According to Jean-François Chevrier, curator of the exhibition and Patrick Faigenbaum's collaborator since 1990, "accumulated and arranged in the archives, the objects constitute a whole world, analogous to the surrounding landscape. Patrick has taken up the enchanting power of crystalware at the same time as paying close attention to the work of the craftspeople."
A major artist on the contemporary photography scene, Patrick Faigenbaum, (b. 1954) was awarded the Prix Henri Cartier-Bresson in 2013.
