About

Founded in 2013 by French artists Apolline Couverchel and Gauthier Haziza, studio Élémentaires stages and shifts in both a theatrical and poetic perspective, the beauty of motions animating our daily surroundings.

With a shared background in living arts, the duo’s approach is rooted in a fascination for kineticism, to which they combine light, that has become their favorite medium.

Hence, they build their graphic universe from the assembly of raw and technical materials, such as aluminum, colored or reflective filters,  as well as LED components, motors and electronics.

Mechanical parts, such as belts, gears and ball bearings are deliberately adopted and enhance through their technical beauty, the spectacle of the process.

Always in slow motion, the time sequence of their moving sculptures invites a contemplative break with the environment. In this interlude, their creations seek to trigger emotional responses, sources of pleasure and wonder.

From cultural objects to functional sculptures, the duo evolves in this «no man’s land» at the crossroads of Art and Design. This transversal approach circumvents the primary utility of the objects surrounding us, seizing the surprise they awaken and uncovering their full potential as magical artifacts.

After a first collaboration with Michelin-starred Chef Paul Pairet and several art direction projects in the fashion industry in Paris, Apolline and Gauthier were invited for an Art residency at the Swatch Art Peace Hotel in Shanghai in 2015,  later signing a carte blanche with the Maison Shang-Xia founded by Hermès.

Returning from China, Apolline and Gauthier have set up their workshop near Brussels in 2018, at Zaventem Ateliers.

The duo regularly collaborates on exhibitions with artists (Elliott Causse, Kenia Almaraz Murillo), institutional projects (Centre d’Innovation et de Design Grand-Hornu - Mons, Centre Pompidou x Mille Formes - Clermond-Ferrand, Centre Wallonie Bruxelles - Paris) and brands (Moët & Chandon).

A large part of their work is dedicated to commissioned projects with interior architects (Lionel Jadot, Tristan Auer). Their contemplative artworks punctuate both public and private living spaces such as restaurants (Nonos & Comestibles, Hôtel de Crillon - Paris), food courts (Food Society Paris, Fox Brussels), hotels and fitness (Mix Brussels) but also interiors of private collectors.