TOTEMS — Totem #1

Original sculpture - elm burl.

A form revealed, not imposed

In certain materials, the form is not decided.

It allows itself to be approached.

This totem was born from this act of listening.

The elm burl already carried within it its tensions, its internal movements, its zones of density and openness.

The artisan's touch faded in favor of the material.

To remove rather than add

To follow rather than contradict.

The resulting line is neither symmetrical nor ostentatious.

It holds a discreet, almost fragile, yet deeply stable balance.

Presence

This piece does not seek to seduce immediately.

It stirs in another way.

Over time, it becomes a landmark.

A fixed point in space to which the gaze returns.

Its surface captures light without reflecting it harshly.

It retains, diffuses, and transforms it.

Unique piece

No reproduction is possible.

Elm burl is an unpredictable material, marked by years of irregular growth.

Every tension in the wood and every variation in the grain contributes to the final form.

This totem is not a variation.

It is a culmination.

Details

• Wood species: elm burl
• Finish: hard wax oil, applied by hand
• Turning and shaping entirely performed by hand.
• 2026

Signed work

Original sculpture

Studio work

Placement

Conceived to exist alone.

On a low cabinet, a console table, or an open shelf, it naturally finds its place and structures the space without cluttering it.