This workshop explores contemporary textiles as a sculptural medium, enabling the creation of two- and three-dimensional textile surfaces using knotting techniques combined with glass tubes and miscanthus. Participants will work with and 3D-print an innovative, bio-based material, adding texture and tactile quality to each creation. A space where traditional techniques and contemporary experimentation come together to give rise to original and sustainable works.

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Understand and practice textile cord knotting techniques, combined with the use of tubular beads (techniques and tools)
• Compose textile surfaces using strips, then flat pieces and panels, by varying the placement patterns of the tubes.
• Explore the three-dimensional arrangement of braided strips through drawing and sketching
• Assemble the braided strips into cylindrical volumes, working from the bottom up, to construct a form in space
• Building on these skills, imagine and develop more complex forms, from design to execution, by creating a personal textile sculpture made of knotted ties and tubes

This workshop invites participants to explore thread as a creative medium—beyond traditional textiles—to design unique three-dimensional forms and sculptures. Through an approach that is both technical and experimental, each participant will learn to transform cords and tubular beads into sculptural surfaces and structures, while developing their own artistic vision.

The program allows participants to work in progressive stages: composing strips, creating panels and patterns, then assembling them into cylindrical forms and structures in space. Drawing and sketching are used as design tools to imagine novel forms, which each participant can then bring to life. The goal: to develop a personal, original, and expressive piece that reflects a unique creative universe.

The workshop also incorporates the use of Novifil filament, an innovative and sustainable material. Bio-based, biodegradable, and free of petrochemical additives, Novifil combines a plant-based polymer (PLA) with natural miscanthus fibers. Grown near Fontainebleau, this perennial grass requires neither irrigation nor chemical inputs, promotes biodiversity, and captures carbon. Creations made with Novifil reveal an organic texture and a natural golden hue that glows in the light and enriches the forms.

Beyond the technical aspects, Marion Chopineau and Alexandre Carpentier invite participants to rethink the relationship between the hand, the machine, and the material, offering a creative space where precision, sensitivity, and ecological awareness converge. Participants will leave with new skills, hands-on experience, and a finished piece that reflects their own creative language.

The workshop will focus on learning how to 3D-print miscanthus tubes, with pairs of participants formed each day.

Program

Flat decorations and sculpted volumes made from textile cords and tubular beads

Day 1

Morning

• Presentation of pieces created as textile sculptures using glass and miscanthus tubes
• Presentation of the 3D printing process for miscanthus tubes: design, calibration, printing, as well as the material developed by Alexandre Carpentier of Novinov.

Afternoon

• Setup of workstations and introduction to the tools
• Training for the first group on 3D printing of miscanthus tubes (2 participants per day)
• Introduction to textile knot techniques (tatting) and variations using rubber bands with specialized tools (3D-printed hooks and clamps)
• Choosing the type of project (cord or elastic)
• Creation of a first ribbon

Day 2

Morning

• Training for the second group on 3D printing
• Exploring combinations of knots and tubes: creating linear patterns, variations in rhythm, curves, symmetrical surfaces, and concentric patterns
• Flat work on foam board

Afternoon

• Presentation of workshop work (portfolio): collaborations with fashion houses, interior designers, and galleries
• Continuation of flat research on foam board focusing on tatting modules with glass and miscanthus tubes

Day 3

Morning

• Training for the third group on 3D printing
• Approach to creating three-dimensional surfaces using knots and tubes: creation of mounting bases (foam, lightweight cardboard) to produce vases, columns, and sculpted forms

Afternoon

• Defining a project goal: textile surface or three-dimensional object, in line with the chosen technique (cord or elastic) and the pace of work

Day 4

Morning

• Formation of the fourth 3D printing team
• Work on the textile surface or three-dimensional object project: weaving the surface, understanding seams and creating volume

Afternoon

• Continuation of individual project

Day 5

Morning

• Continuation and finalization of tube and cord projects, with attention to finishing details
• For advanced participants: opportunity to explore pieces made with interwoven elastic bands (knitted-style, inspired by designs for the Loewe brand)

Afternoon

• Taking technical notes to continue the work after the training
• Time for review and discussion
• Photographing the completed pieces for participants and the MaNa Campus
• Tidying up the workshop

Marion Chopineau

Trained in applied arts at the École Olivier de Serres in Paris, Marion Chopineau has developed a practice at the intersection of textile design and formal research. She collaborates with major fashion houses, for which she designs embroidery, accessories, and experimental pieces, while pursuing personal work focused on the transformation of craftsmanship.
Her approach is based on the hybridization of techniques: basketry, macramé, knitting, and molding come together in installations where the textile becomes structure. By repurposing and combining these practices, she develops a unique visual vocabulary that is both technical and sensitive.

The question of volume is central to her work. Through circular weaving or molding directly on the body, she creates forms that oscillate between object, adornment, and architecture. Her pieces, composed of networks of threads and modules, evoke light, almost immaterial constructions, straddling the boundary between structure and the organic.

The Parures-Matriochkas extend this exploration. Composed of glass and threads, they are structured as nested volumes, capable of conforming to the body or breaking free from it. At the intersection of jewelry and basketry, these works rely on repetitive knotting techniques, rooted in a long-term process where the gesture becomes the process itself.

Their fragmented geometry evokes multiple references: measuring instruments, celestial forms, architectural structures. These objects bring to mind dials, spheres, or meridians, situating the piece within a broader reflection on cycle, rhythm, and transformation.

Conceived as wearable architecture, these adornments retain the memory of the body while existing autonomously. They oscillate between protection and ornamentation, between structure and envelope, affirming a vision of textiles as a space of construction, both formal and symbolic.

• Classroom, multipurpose room, workshops with professional equipment
• Supply of materials
• Individual and collaborative work
• Workshop-based learning
• Active participation and hands-on experimentation by participants are encouraged

• Group and personalized progress tracking, regular updates
• Self-assessment of technical skills
• Group presentation
• Attendance sheet by half-day
• Certificate of completion issued by Campus MaNa