© Lyndie Dourthe

LYNDIE DOURTHE: Of a curious nature

LYNDIE DOURTHE is a French artist. Magical worlds and intricate creations gush forth from her fingertips. Meticulously handmade, each object she creates is an astounding work of art as well as a universe unto itself. Inspired by the natural sciences and filled with poetic breath, Lyndie’s creations capture the imagination of all who are lucky enough to discover them. To see more of Lyndie’s work please visit her website: lyndiedourthe.monsite-orange.fr

A selection of her newest work will be on view at the Dante & Maria boutique near the Canal St. Martin in Paris until November 1st: www.dantemaria.fr

Interview by Melissa Unger

© Lyndie Dourthe

Where you a creative child? Do you remember the very first time you created something?

My mother was a teacher so she was able to spend all vacation time with my sister and I. We both needed to be kept busy and since she was very creative herself, my mother would imagine a whole slew of activities for us, bricolage, drawing, sewing, etc.

So, at a very young age I was familiarized with materials like paper, cardboard, tape, crayons, paint…but most of all I was taught early to use my hands and my imagination.

Your work reflects a very particular mix of anatomy, voodoo, science and nature. Tell us a bit about where this unusual mélange of passions stems from.

I started out making flowers, then insects, then works around anatomy, mushrooms, animals…exploring natural science in general. I have never been ‘good’ at science but I have always been curious, so the best way for me to comprehend the things that I didn’t understand was to invent the solutions. The mix comes from there. Same goes for the vanities that I create, they are an attempt to grasp something mysterious… difficult to understand, in my own particular way. This process enables me to construct a new creative vocabulary, new stories, new references.

© Lyndie Dourthe

How do you approach the creation of a new project? Tell us about your creative process.

The ‘thread’ I follow always comes from my subconscious. The steps are always logical to me and mesh with what I am trying to express, but I have no idea how the ideas initially come to me, yet the flow is always coherent and endless.

That said, to answer more practically: I always have a notebook on me into which I scribble ideas that float by. I glue in a whole bunch of images, I sometimes do quick sketches to make the fleeting thoughts more concrete. But most importantly, I move quickly to the ‘production’ phase, I need to know right away if the idea will ‘work’. I never linger on theory, I need to test, to manipulate and transform the ideas into 3D, because ideas that remain ideas scribbled on paper, are of no use.

© Lyndie Dourthe