La double clique

Creation studio - Mulhouse

Antagonism marks out the whole production of La Double Clique, oscillating between graphic and object design, technology and tradition, industry and craft. A subtle mix of approaches and techniques converge in the work of the two protagonists, Thomas Roger and Trystan Zigmann. Their multidisciplinarity, their inspiration and their technique create a poetic and intriguing syncretism.

Their gaze is looking to the past, towards tradition, towards the reinterpretation of forms and techniques from previous centuries and millennia, while their hands manipulate the future through equipment and methods at the cutting edge of current concerns. Their production technique, combining contemporary materials, recent technology and craftsmanship, plays with the trompe l’oeil effects in the final rendering between interventions left visible and ambiguous material. Arousing curiosity, the result lies in an in-between. The studio’s incessant research and experimentation lead to unidentified objects hovering at the confluence of the past and the future.

Who is behind La double clique and how did the studio come about?

We set up the studio together. We met at school. Trystan was studying graphic design and Thomas was studying design. Our collaboration started at school. We found interesting to mix graphic design and object design through 3D. For the graphic design, we make 3D renderings. For the objects, we will work in 3D, via 3D printing for example. Each time, it’s work of exchange of work depending on the project. We may both have to draw objects or create them… And the name of our studio refers to the double clicks of the computer and our duo.

Is there a common thread in your work? How would you define the production of La double clique?

More and more We are trying to be interested in traditions and cultural signs by reinterpreting them with new production techniques, it can be 3D printing, graphic design or other technologies. Traditional forms are reinterpreted for objects or particular signs. The idea is to create a sensitive language with technological or even industrial methods. Our inspirations are quite diverse depending on the project.

For example, we developed a collection called Armure for an exhibition in the south of France. We were more interested in old Greco-Roman vases and amphorae, focusing on this period and the way these objects were assembled. So it was linked to this exhibition and the place.

Did you choose for a specific approach for Avenue du Roi? Did you tailor your work to the specificities of the place?

For Avenue du Roi, the idea of tradition is much broader. The idea is to talk about curiosities, referring to the cabinet of curiosities and mirabilia, which is also the name of the collection. These are marvels, natural or artificial objects that people used to collect in cabinets of curiosities. For example, it could be a piece of coral, a bowl and other objects that were exhibited and shown. For Avenue du Roi, the objects were designed from the rock motif with abstract and geometric shapes.

Discover their works

Which works are you exhibiting for Avenue du Roi?

We made two vases, two bowls and a funeral urn. We thought it was a rather symbolic object that made sense in relation to the material used and the place. And we also made a piggy bank. We thought it was quite funny for a place whose name includes the word “king” to propose a piggy bank. We didn’t just want to propose vases and wanted to show something else. We are also curious to see how the public will be interested in objects that are quite sculptural but have a specific function. We have also redone some decanters and a watering can. For these, we are in a more classic collection of our production.

Can you tell us more about your production technique?

We developed a 3D printing technique. Each part of the object is printed separately. First, we print water-soluble 3D moulds, which can melt in water after one day. We pour jesmonite, a non-toxic acrylic resin, into them, mixing in natural powder from bricks, natural pigments, earth, etc. This allows us to have quite diverse colours.

We also worked with metallic powders. Once the object is sanded and polished, there is a real metallic effect on the object. The idea was to draw attention to the material and to work on the idea of curiosity. It gives the impression of another material. Once the jesmonite has set, we put the object in water and the moulds melt after a day.

And then how the assembly process works?

The first part of the production process consists of making all the parts separately. The second part is assembling, which is a more craft process because we use different types of wires to hold the pieces together. For the Mirabilia collection, the tradition is not really in the shape but rather in the assembly. We like to give the impression of a rudimentary assembly and especially to show it. We don’t try to hide how it’s made. We take our inspiration from everyday life, from certain building sites or even from fishing knots.