Fonds de Dotation Maison Mode Méditerranée, Marseille
For 35 years, the mission of the Fonds de Dotation Maison Mode Méditerranée has been to support projects of general, cultural and scientific interest carried out by designers, researchers and other professionals who are often far removed from fashion centres. The FDDMMM’s actions are developing genuine expertise in this field and are part of a philanthropic approach to supporting arts and crafts, culture and international training alongside its partners, administrators and a large network of friends who are keen to support new generations.
The Fonds de dotation MMM is supporting XYLOMANCIA in its project to develop an artistic collection of fine woodwork for fashion with the Heritage & Culture Grant for the years 2024 – 2026.
Amaury Darras, laureate of the Heritage & Culture grant from the Fonds de dotation Maison Mode Méditerranée, lives and works in Marseille. He fuses ancestral craftsmanship, notably art cabinetmaking, with a vocation for fashion, integrating fictional design and technical innovation. This combination has enriched his practice, leading him to innovate by fusing cabinetmaking, sculpture, marquetry, sewing, modeling and pattern-making. Amaury Darras’ artistic approach blends the skills of modern cabinetmaking with contemporary textile design. Using wood as a raw material, he proposes a sustainable body architecture, inscribed in a dreamlike, space-opera universe. His costumes, like worn sculptures, bear witness to a future xeno-heritage. Darras admires ancient knowledge while understanding current issues. His works invite us to reflect on the beauty and sufficiency of matter, proposing a singular, natural refuge, a sculpture frozen in time.”
Sirènide is an immersive sculptural installation depicting an extraterrestrial warrior. The work embodies a vision of an all-female civilization, technologically advanced and deeply connected to nature.
The Mermaid Warriors
In a distant universe, masculinism is a religion spread to the four corners of known worlds.
These extraterrestrials come from the darkest corners of the galaxy, with a clear mission: to overthrow the patriarchal regimes that dominate and occupy many planets.
As a response to an incurable and dominant evil.
Their complex and sophisticated culture is based on a symbiosis with wood, used not only for their clothing but also for their advanced technologies.
Technology they use to liberate the planets in their path.
The sculpture features an alien warrior in symbiotic wooden armor, illustrating the psychic connection between wearer and armor. The finely crafted details reveal the almost supernatural richness of this culture and their unique harmony between matter and individual.
Sirènide fuses craftsmanship, fine woodwork, fashion and fiction to offer a vision of a possible personified ideal as beautiful as it is dangerous.
