Southern Skies, Leather Lies, 2024

This project was initiated thanks to the French Mobilier National through their program Les Aliénés, they gave us carte blanche to refurbish a 1940’s wooden folding screen. We decided to play around the concept of dressing and undressing this object of both inherent modesty and projected eros.

Together with a french upholstery atelier, aslo based in Marseille, we decided to challenge ourselves by using a discarded stock of leather dating from the 1960’s, damaged by water infiltrations in a closeby shoemaking warehouse. We were inspired by country music lore and classic western movie scenes and costumes.

Made with Relax Factory in Marseille, France & Le Mobilier National in Paris, France
Images © Emma Tholot

We found archives tracing the production of Western Bouillabaisse films, in the south of the France, which we looked at through the prism of leatherwork techniques and leather equipment. The screen is now entirely covered in leather, and adorned with shapes that clip at will, on the panels or on its users. Called Southern Skies, Leather Lies, the screen now embodies a movie lore in which it might be the main character.