a par a brings together artists and weavers.
A play on the French word “apparat”, referring to ceremonial adornment – that extra sparkle, whether literal or metaphorical – a par a commissions and produces one-of-a-kind editions of handwoven tapestries.
Based between France and Brazil, a par a bridges the gap between art and craft, folk traditions and today’s trends.
As Anni Albers wrote in her seminal book On Weaving (1965), “Along with cave paintings, threads were among the earliest transmitters of meaning”. As a strong believer that tapestry is a vehicle of thought, a memory keeper, a living heritage, a par a both tells and continues this story of gesture, inviting artists to cross the borders : while meeting other cultures and know‑hows, they venture outside their familiar territories and usual fields of expression.
Know-how
Our team of collaborating weavers plays a crucial role in bringing the artist's designs to life through tapestries. Each weaver brings their own unique background, culture, technique, and sensibility to the process.
Elvia Paucar, is a skilled artisan who hails from San Pedro de Cajas, a pueblo known for agriculture, shepherding, and weaving in the Junin region of Peru. Elvia's family is renowned for their expertise in weaving, and she was taught the art of mastering the loom by her father and the secrets of natural dyeing by her mother. Her in-depth knowledge and control of the tapestry manufacturing process is impressive, from the selection of the finest wool from the flocks of sheep and alpacas in her village to the bespoke handmade dying of the wool, to the reinterpretation of the artist's design and the weaving. Her intuitive approach gives the final works a unique character, revealing the authentic impulse of the initial design of the artist.
Tiyoko Tomikawa, who resides in São Paulo and is a master of the detailed Gobelin technique. Tiyoko has been responsible for the Textile Art workshop at Sesc Pompéia for 24 years, where she generously shares her wealth of knowledge with anyone who wants to learn. She has tied the threads of her own life to the loom, and her sophisticated and meticulous work, combined with her wisdom and generosity, make her a valuable and treasured collaborator.
Places
BRAZIL
FRANCE
Based between France and Brazil, a par a bridges the gap between art and craft, folk traditions and today’s trends.
Story
Founder Hélène D’Apote started her career in the classical music world in Paris. Growing up in an Austro-Italian household, she was exposed from an early age to symphony and opera. After earning a master’s degree in management and musicology, she became an A&R executive, overseeing the production of recordings and discovering and championing new artists and composers.
In 2013, Hélène met her husband, the Brazilian artist and illustrator Filipe Jardim and awakened to a wider visual and cultural world. During trips to Brazil, she became enamored with the country’s mid century woven tapestries.
Researching this movement sparked her idea to translate Filipe Jardim’s vibrantly colorful work into tapestries, and to modernize the hand-loomed textile tradition through the work of other contemporary artists.