François Lafortune
PLI Collection
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Galerie Jaïs
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PLI Collection
François Lafortune for Galerie Jaïs
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PLI 01 – Left chair PLI 02 – Right chair
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PLI Collection
The PLI collection is a series of galvanized folded metal objects imagined by François Lafortune for Galerie Jaïs. It explores the essentialization of everyday elements by bending and folding sheet metal to create volumes of different sizes. PLI has its origins in a rustic-looking piece of furniture: the corner chair, usually made from turned wood. This piece asserts its uniqueness through its ninety-degree angle backrest. This basic shape led François Lafortune to rethink the seat, using steel to give the corner chair a sculptural modernity. This piece is the starting point for the PLI collection, which uses the same method to interpret everyday objects. Cut and shaped from steel, the pieces are bent by the expert hands of an ironworker, then immersed in a zinc bath where they are galvanized at 400 degrees. This process produces not only a shiny, textured surface, but also a protective coating. Galvanized sheet metal thus asserts itself as a sculptural object, simple and durable, with fascinating reflections. The collection comprises: two corner chairs, two vases, a plate and a candlestick.
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PLI 01 / PLI 02
Chairs
The corner chair is shaped from laser-cut sheet steel. It is then folded on itself four times. By design, the corner chair is available with a left (PLI 01) or right (PLI 02) angle. Close to a wall, in the center of a room, or in a garden, the left and right seats respond to each other through their angles.
PLI 01 – Left chair Dimensions 700 x 400 x 400 mm 27,6 x 15,7 x 15,7 inch
PLI 02 – Right chair Dimensions 700 x 400 x 400 mm 27,6 x 15,7 x 15,7 inch
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PLI 01 / PLI 02
Chairs
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PLI Collection
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PLI 03 / PLI 04
Vases
The vase, available in two heights, is equally at home on a piece of furniture (PLI 03) or on the floor (PLI 04). From a single sheet of steel, these pieces take shape and assert themselves around a shaft and a sail. A single weld closes the lower part to ensure watertightness. The upper part provides a backdrop for the flowers reflected in it.
PLI 03 – Vase S Dimensions 350 x 180 x 55 mm 13,8 x 7,1 x 2,2 inch PLI 04 – Vase M Dimensions 700 x 300 x 90 mm 27,6 x 11,8 x 3,5 inch
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PLI 03 / PLI 04
Vases
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PLI Collection
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PLI 05 Candleholder
The candleholder takes shape from two folds. A first 90° angle supports the candle. Once the candle is lit, the flame is reflected within a 120° angle, revealing all the nuances of the material.
PLI 05 – Candleholder Dimensions 350 x 180 x 60 mm 13,8 x 7,3 x 2,2 inch
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PLI 05
Candleholder
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PLI Collection
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PLI 06
Plate
Part dish, part centerpiece, this piece is structured around a single fold at a variable angle of 120° and 130°. The dish leaves its precarious balance to rest on the obtuse angle.
PLI 06 – Plate Dimensions 410 x 240 x 40 mm 16,1 x 9,4 x 1,4 inch
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PLI 01 – Left chair PLI 02 – Right chair
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PLI Collection
PLI 01– Left chair
PLI 02 – Right chair
Galvanized steel
Galvanized steel
700 x 400 x 400 mm | 27,6 x 15,7 x 15,7 inch
700 x 400 x 400 mm | 27,6 x 15,7 x 15,7 inch
Edition of 8 + 2 a. p. + 2 prototypes
Edition of 8 + 2 a. p. + 2 prototypes
PLI 03 – Vase S
PLI 04 – Vase M
Galvanized steel
Galvanized steel
350 x 180 x 55 mm | 13,8 x 7,1 x 2,2 inch
700 x 300 x 90 mm | 27,6 x 11,8 x 3,5 inch
Edition of 100 + 2 prototypes
Edition of 50 + 2 prototypes
PLI 05 – Candle holder
PLI 06 – Plate
Galvanized steel
Galvanized steel
350 x 180 x 55 mm | 13,8 x 7,3 x 2,2 inch
410 x 240 x 40 mm | 16,1 x 9,4 x 1,4 inch
Edition of 100 + 2 prototypes
Edition of 100 + 2 prototypes
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PLI
Biography
Galvachaud - Galvanization workshop
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François Lafortune
After six years of training in seat carpentry at the École Boulle, he decided to enrich his vision at the ECAL (École cantonale d‘art de Lausanne). His experiences enable him to envisage a vast range of projects, from handcrafted creations to industrial design, while maintaining unity in his creative process. François Lafortune is notably responsible for the design of the basin for the „Lausanne 2020“ Youth Olympic Games, as well as the Aérophone, exhibited at Galerie Kreo in 2022. Today, his quest for essential creations leads him to propose objects that are as simple as they are conscious.
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Galerie Jaïs
Galerie Jaïs, founded in 2021, offers a selection of art and furniture from the 1950s to contemporary creation online and through thematic exhibitions in Paris and Biarritz.
The gallery presents an exclusive selection of works by artists and designers, including Alain Richard, Alain & Marisa Bégou, Michel Boyer, Pol Chambost, Robert Deblander, Jos Devriendt, Olivier Gagnère, Elisabeth Garouste & Mattia Bonetti, Éric Jourdan, François Arnal, Frédéric de Luca, Ingo Maurer, Javier Mariscal, Migeon & Migeon, Nathalie du Pasquier, Andrée Putman and Valentine Schlegel. Through its projects, the gallery aims to pass on artworks and their stories to collectors and connoisseurs.
galeriejais.com contact@galeriejais.com
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Credits
PLI Collection by François Lafortune, Edition – Galerie Jaïs. Folding – Benoît Gay Galvanization – Galvachaud Photography – Mathilde Hiley Set design – Aurore Piedigrossi Art Direction – Sophie Richter Texts – Adrien Jaïs galeriejais.com contact@galeriejais.com
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galeriejais.com contact@galeriejais.com
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