Profile

Laurent Conversin, better known as Manus, a nod to manual gestures, is a rigorous and passionate blacksmith who combines tradition and modernity in his work. A self-taught artist with an atypical background, he draws his inspiration as much from raw materials as from medieval art, developing a practice at the intersection of craftsmanship, sculpture, and transmission.
Manus shapes hot metal as one sculpts the memory of an ancient past. His forge is a living space where fire, breath, and manual gesture take on their full importance. He creates unique pieces, whether utilitarian objects, architectural elements, or delicate jewelry, in which each hammer blow bears the trace of the body and time. For several years, he has led introductory and advanced blacksmithing courses, with the aim of imparting more than just expertise: sensitivity, focus, and attentive listening to oneself and the material. He guides his apprentices with rigor and kindness, in an environment where gesture becomes a true language.
Committed to promoting manual skills and rediscovering so-called "lost" crafts, Manus belongs to this new generation of artisans who place gesture at the heart of contemporary creation, blending transmission, freedom, and resistance to the frenetic pace of time.