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Sofitel Luxembourg

Crédits : Charlène Campos. Translation: Jill Harry. Pictures: RR

Gold, infinite and ephemeral

Now living in Luxembourg, Marie de Decker reinvents traditional gilding in unique contemporary creations.
You were born in Paris. Why did you choose to settle in Luxembourg?

I chose Luxembourg for its lifestyle of exceptional quality and its stimulating entrepreneurial environment. I am convinced that small countries offer big opportunities! (laughing)

You see yourself as an artist and an artisanal creator. What is your creative approach?

It is guided by my vision of eternal nature, travelling through eras and cultures. I draw inspiration from nature to interlace feathers and scales. These motifs are repeated to infinity, forming compositions which give the impression of perpetual movement, with no beginning, no end. It is this duality between the infinite, symbolized by feathers, and the ephemeral, represented by scales, which lies at the heart of my work.

What incited you to explore working with gold?

As a professional photographer, this activity was born of a desire to offer my prints a new dimension, to make them both timeless and precious. I therefore underwent training with a master craftsman specializing in gilding, based in Les Vosges. It was there that I discovered the awesome powerfulness of gold. Its immutable character then seemed self-evident as a way to express my vision of eternal nature. I like the idea that, thanks to gold, my works adorn and inhabit space, releasing it from its simply ornamental function to endow it with its own identity. Today, I use 27 different shades of gold, from 24-carat yellow golds to variations in rose, green or red, not forgetting 23.75-carat white gold. I adapt these techniques to my vision, only using bio-sourced materials, and reinventing gilding with a profoundly contemporary approach.

Where can your work be admired?

By appointment in my studio, at the Elie Art Gallery in Monaco, in several hotels on the island of Mauritius, and at the Windeshausen jewellery boutique in Luxembourg. I also participate in the Biennale De Mains de Maître in Luxembourg in November, as well as in the Paris Design Week.

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