Wecandoo opens a new ceramic workshop at the Viaduc des Arts

January 2024 23 avenue Daumesnil, 75012 Paris

Previously located at 111 Avenue Daumesnil, the young company – which organizes workshops with artisans to showcase their professions and skills – has just moved to larger offices at number 23. This move provides the opportunity to take advantage of the new space by creating a brand-new workshop dedicated to ceramics, housing six ceramic artisans.

Bringing craftsmanship back into the daily lives of the French

On one side, there are the brand-new offices of Wecandoo, a company founded in 2017 by Grégoire Hugon and Edouard Eyglunent to promote craftsmanship in all its forms. On the other side, this same concept is put into practice with a new ceramic workshop.

Since September, number 23 at the Viaduc des Arts has indeed become the headquarters of Wecandoo and its fifty employees, as well as a workshop dedicated to ceramics, this highly cultural and artistic material that has sparked genuine enthusiasm. « We have made it our mission to reintegrate craftsmanship into the daily lives of the French by inviting them to meet artisans and, through these encounters, discover their professions and try their hand at their practices, » summarizes Edouard Eyglunent, co-founder of Wecandoo.

Through its website, Wecandoo connects artisans with the general public by offering registration for various workshops where participants are invited to learn the ropes of a craft and even try their hand at creating their own object or product, guided by the advice of the professional.

In its six years of existence, Wecandoo has enabled over 450,000 enthusiasts to immerse themselves in the work of some 2,500 partner artisans through 5,000 workshops organized in major French cities, primarily in Paris. Fashion, furniture, pottery and ceramics, chocolate-making, wines and spirits... « A wide range of activities is represented, mainly in the fields of arts and crafts and the culinary arts, » confirms Edouard Eyglunent. « And recently, we have added workshops related to agriculture and regional specialties ».

At the heart of craftsmanship

Wecandoo is therefore committed to restoring craftsmanship to its former glory. And the company has its work cut out for it. « Thirty or forty years ago, manual trades were taught in school. But that has been lost. And then, service professions exploded, relegating craftsmanship to the background, sometimes with a certain disdain for these trades, » laments the leader. However, it is quickly forgotten that artisans represent 12% of the active population (source: Directorate-General for Enterprises) and that they possess valuable know-how.

With its workshops, Wecandoo hopes to shed light on this work and prove that craftsmanship is not a dead-end, as some might think. So, establishing itself at the Viaduc des Arts is quite symbolic. « We are very attached to this place, emblematic of Parisian craftsmanship where many exceptional artisans coexist, several of whom we collaborate with, » adds Edouard Eyglunent.

It is even more symbolic here, in this renowned hub of arts and design, where artisans are driven by the desire to showcase their craft and pass on their knowledge. « So, naturally, we can only be delighted to be here, » continues the co-founder of Wecandoo.

Discovering ceramics

Next to its new premises, Wecandoo has chosen to spotlight ceramics. « Alongside pottery, it's one of our most popular workshops, » emphasizes Edouard Eyglunent. « In recent years, there has indeed been a real enthusiasm for craftsmanship in general, and particularly for ceramics. »

After falling somewhat out of favor, this ancient technique, which also refers to the material in which the object is shaped, has returned to the forefront, propelled by young, talented, and innovative ceramic artisans. Durable and aesthetic, ceramics have made a comeback, praised for its numerous advantages, such as its hardness, resistance to time, and the creative freedom it allows.

So, in the vault number 23 of the Viaduc des Arts, six of these artisans offer the opportunity to get initiated into this practice and shape one's own ceramic object (vase, bowl, glass, cup, etc.).

The workshop is spread across three floors. In the mezzanine, participants can try their hand at the potter's wheel, working on one of the 16 available ceramic wheels. They will also have the opportunity to explore the art of modeling and its various techniques – pinching, slab building, and coiling – in a dedicated space on the ground floor. Their pieces will then pass into the hands of the artisan to perfect the finishing touches with firing and glazing, in the workshop's basement. This final step, which can take one to three months, will enhance your pieces by providing them with shine and protection against wear.

Wecandoo
23 avenue Daumesnil, Paris 12
wecandoo.fr

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