Blend of fibers and clay, paper clay is also known as high-temperature clay. Ceramicist Sofi Buquet works with it and guides participants to develop individual and collective projects. From the liquid state to solid, incorporating organic elements, she will reveal the secrets of its creation.

By the end of the training, the participant will have acquired:

• The plasticity of clay
• Formulation of paper clay recipes
• Understanding of different states and the potential of this material
• Development of a slip for bonding
• Introduction to various manufacturing techniques
• Designing a research board
• Creation of an individual or collective object

Collecting samples of plants and minerals during a stroll is a journey to discover the natural structures around us. How does living matter shape and organize the architecture of its needs? The training will start from these observations and the contents of our pockets to try to understand the architecture of our sensitivity. Using paper clay as a starting point, participants will learn to develop, reproduce, organize, and shape this medium in both two and three dimensions. They will experiment with this medium through various techniques, exploring its possibilities and limitations. This training offers an immersion into the world of high-temperature clays, also known as «Paper Clay»; it will highlight the recognition and understanding of the various compositions of this exceptional material while exploring its application and assembly techniques.

Sofi Buquet

Living in Saint Amand en Puisaye, Burgundy, since 2008, she completed training as a Ceramic Designer and High-Temperature Enamel Researcher at Ema-Cnifop. She has been working as a ceramic artist for about a decade, with her studio located at La Fabrique, in the spaces of the former Mallet pottery factory.

Ceramics have been part of her life since her adolescence, but she initially began her professional career as a bookseller. Her work in independent bookstores reinforced her interest in illustration and graphic design for children's literature. She gained experience in mentoring and guiding young people, children, and adolescents. Through her involvement in various associations, Sofi gradually developed a training program centered on experimentation and the poetic expression of the medium of clay.

Not being a potter herself, her work begins with a search for random or organic forms. Currently, she creates stoneware and porcelain tableware that appears to emerge from a quick sketch, where attention to detail might result in a handle that is sometimes rough and precious, or small and seemingly unnecessary. A fly may land on the edge of a plate, revealing Sofi's poetic and playful approach to detail. She appreciates what disrupts and challenges us.

• Work in a ceramics workshop
• Small tools, ceramics materials, and equipment (provided)
• Specialized documentation, fine books, and ceramic pieces (for consultation)
• Individual and collective experiments supported by technical and theoretical guidance
• Exchange and interaction among participants based on sharing and mutual assistance in production

• Applied Theory: Theoretical input illustrated by demonstrations and individual exercises
• Regular self-assessment through practical applications and discussion sessions
• Designing a personal project: Learning arises from experimentation and needs
• A collective experiential situation (2/3 through the training) allowing for consolidation and enrichment of learning
• Collective feedback: An experiential report at the end of the course
• Attendance sheet for half-day sessions
• Certificate of completion issued by Campus MaNa