The Storming of the Bastille has been depicted in a long list of paintings and films throughout history. For the first time, however, its revolutionary echo has been iterated in strands of linen.
Through the art gallery Maison Parisienne, artist and textile specialist Aude Franjou was given the directive to take over a Parisian monument: the July Column and its gilded winged Spirit of Liberty, overlooking Place de la Bastille.
The square was built on the location of the 1789 uprising and where the Bastille prison, an emblem of tyranny, once stood and was dismantled. The July Column, or the Colonne de Juillet, was erected in 1835 and commemorates the three-day July Revolution of 1830 that ended the reign of King Charles X.
Franjou’s installation, “Coraux de la Liberté” (or “Corals of Liberty”), will be on display for the entirety of Paris Design Week, which will run Thursday to Sept. 13.
Entirely handcrafted from linen thread, tendrils of coral-like branches stretch within the columns internal rotunda from floor to ceiling. Dyed in white to deep red, it evokes a powerful metaphor of rebirth — an ascension toward life.
“They rise upward in an ascension, a movement toward liberty. They also speak to our connection with nature and the need to restore balance in the world,” Franjou told WWD in an interview.
Raised in the French countryside, where fields of linen bloom each spring, the artist also spent time on the island of Oléron. There, the ropes that tether the boats to the docks in the port of La Cotinière left a lasting impression. “These childhood memories shaped my connection to natural fibers and inspired me to explore their sculptural potential.”
Each sculpture from the “Coraux de la Liberté” is entirely made by hand. Franjou employed a wrapping technique, which involved enveloping raw linen fibers with a finer thread — sometimes repeating the gesture a hundred times until the fiber is completely set. She then shaped each form by interlacing, twisting or distorting the material. She also incorporated natural pigments to create a gradient of color from white to deep red, evoking a sense of ascension and regeneration.
Linen, which comes from the flax plant, is abundant in France, and other European nations such as Belgium and the Netherlands, all of which are renowned for producing high-quality linen that supplies the global luxury apparel industry.
After studying tapestry at the Duperré School of Applied Arts in Paris, Franjou has devoted herself to sculptural work with linen since 1999. “Working with linen feels essential because it is both sustainable and deeply connected to the landscape of my childhood. Using a natural, local fiber allows me to honor artisanal traditions while creating contemporary forms. It is a way of staying rooted in nature and working responsibly with what it offers.”
Maison Parisienne opened in 2008 and prides itself on showcasing the finest contemporary French savoir-faire and discovering French art-de-vivre. Maison Parisienne was granted permission for the exhibit from the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, or CMN, which oversees the July Column.
In 2019, Maison Parisienne organized an exhibition of the work of Lesage art director Hubert Barrère, a master embroiderer best known for his collaboration with Chanel. The Lesage embroidery atelier, founded in 1924, became part of Chanel’s specialty atelier division in 2002.
Aude Franjou’s “Coraux de la Liberté.”
Vincent Leroux
