Emmanuelle RAPIN
BLACKWORK “DÜRER GRAPH”, 2021
Embroidery on lead plate, Mouline cotton thread. 24,6 x 33,4 cm
BLACKWORK (Dürer graph) is a Holbein stitch embroidery worked with black thread on lead plate. The repetitively depicted shape is based on the mysterious polyhedron from Albrecht Dürer's Melencolia I. In its two-dimensional form it is known in mathematics as the "Dürer Graph" which, by definition, is an undirected graph with 12 vertices and 18 edges. In many ancient interpretations, the term "blackwork" refers to the first stage of alchemy (Nigredo). Nigredo is marked by the sign of Saturn, associated with metals such as lead and iron but also with pyrite, an opaque mineral that forms distinct, characteristic polyhedral structures. It is reasonable to assume that Dürer's polyhedron is a body of made of pyrite crystals.
Emmanuelle RAPIN
MORGENROT (AURORA), 2021
embroidered rose branches, cotton thread, glass beads, rose thorns Vintage woolen suit jacket 105 x 34 x 4 cm
Aurora & Dusk, is a textile diptych born from the symbolic separation of the two sides of a man’s suit jacket. This work explores themes of transformation, the relationship between humans and nature, and the perpetual cycle of destruction and reconstruction, resonating with the tradition of alchemical principles. (Aurora) embodies the final stage of alchemy, the Great Work of the Red Phase. A rose branch adorned with red beads emerges from the heart area, symbolizing the union of mercury and sulfur, the fixation of the spirit, and incandescence. This luminous pulse reflects a vibrant rebirth after chaos.
Emmanuelle RAPIN
DÄMERUNG (DUSK), 2021
Embroidered lead balls, fishing line, rose branch, lead origami, Vintage woolen suit jacket 30 x 90 x 6 cm
Morgenrot & Dämmerung (Aurora & Dusk) is a textile diptych born from the symbolic separation of the two sides of a man’s suit jacket. This work explores themes of transformation, the relationship between humans and nature, and the perpetual cycle of destruction and reconstruction, resonating with the tradition of alchemical principles. Dusk represents the initial stage of the Great Work, dissolution and mortification. Lead beads embroidered on the textile and the dark branch crossing the jacket evoke a tension between humanity and its environment, while also symbolizing the resilience of a dormant nature ready to be reborn.
Emmanuelle RAPIN
REVELATION DOES NOT KILL, 2022
Dried lime leaf, cross-linked with hair and sewn, pin 7 x 16 cm
The title is an excerpt from "The Mirror of Simple Souls" (1295) by Marguerite Porete. A dry, skeletal lime leaf. It has lost almost all its flesh. To repair it, each hair has been woven into the fine structure of the leaf at the risk of destroying it with each pass of the needle. Tiny knots of hair reinforce the new weave. In the artistic production of the 19th century, the art of calligraphy on tree leaves was developed. Completely stripped of their flesh, the networks of veins hosted a word painted in gold. These words were meant to protect. A humble and compassionate dialogue is established between the fragile beauty of the leaf and the vulnerability of the human condition inscribed in the hair. The weave they form together reinforces them. The autumn leaf falls to the foot of the tree to be born again.
Emmanuelle RAPIN
ALPHA CLEMENTINE (INSIDE), 2024
Dried Clementine peel, embroidered with brass and copper threads, glass beads, labradorite, pyrite, cotton thread. 3,5 × 5 × 4,5 cm
The drying Clementine peel reminded me of lunar landscapes. I wondered if I could transform the organic chemical composition of a Clementine into one similar to that of a celestial mineral body. After being embroidered with copper, brass, labradorite, and pyrite, the peel is calcined in a kiln, taking on the appearance of a burnt mineral stone. Calcining the Clementine is a direct metaphor for the decomposition of matter, whether in a dying star or in the transformation of organic material on Earth. This process transforms a familiar organic object into a celestial artifact. If a hybrid organic-mineral organism existed, it would possess unique abilities. Pyrite and labradorite could grant it properties for reflecting or absorbing light, influencing its visibility or camouflage. Copper might provide it with electrical conductivity, facilitating rapid electrochemical exchanges, similar to a highly efficient nervous system. This organism would thrive in a mineral-rich environment, such as underground caves or volcanic zones, where metals and crystals naturally occur.
Emmanuelle RAPIN
ALPHA CLEMENTINE (OUTSIDE), 2024
Dried Clementine peel, embroidered with brass and copper threads, glass beads, labradorite, pyrite, cotton thread. 3,5 × 5 × 4,5 cm
The drying Clementine peel reminded me of lunar landscapes. I wondered if I could transform the organic chemical composition of a Clementine into one similar to that of a celestial mineral body. After being embroidered with copper, brass, labradorite, and pyrite, the peel is calcined in a kiln, taking on the appearance of a burnt mineral stone. Calcining the Clementine is a direct metaphor for the decomposition of matter, whether in a dying star or in the transformation of organic material on Earth. This process transforms a familiar organic object into a celestial artifact. If a hybrid organic-mineral organism existed, it would possess unique abilities. Pyrite and labradorite could grant it properties for reflecting or absorbing light, influencing its visibility or camouflage. Copper might provide it with electrical conductivity, facilitating rapid electrochemical exchanges, similar to a highly efficient nervous system. This organism would thrive in a mineral-rich environment, such as underground caves or volcanic zones, where metals and crystals naturally occur. Chemical formula of the work: (C₆H₁₀O₅)n + C₁₀H₁₆ + Cu-Zn + SiO₂ + (Ca,Na)(Al,Si)₄O₈
Emmanuelle RAPIN
TRANSFERT II, 2024
Perforated printed paper, needle-embroidered with cotton thread in knot and throw stitch, chalcedony beads, perforated aluminium and iridescent mineral pigment. 42 × 29,7cm
I revisited the hands of Flora from the work of Francesco Melzi. I perforated them to transfer pigment powder onto other surfaces, as I do when transferring an embroidery pattern onto fabric. The reverse side of the paper displays an imprint of the goddess’s hands, emphasizing the connection between the original image and its role as a matrix. They embody both the concept of knowledge transmission and the passage between mediums. The contrast between the precision of the perforations and the alterations they cause gives the works a dual nature: they are both witnesses of an aesthetic process and fragments of a technical gesture. The perforations suggest a suspended, immaterial action, while the embroidery stitches evoke tangible creation. Originally conceived as tools for transfer, the perforations themselves become an artwork, embodying a dialogue between the original and its metamorphosis.
Emmanuelle RAPIN
TRANSFERT I, 2024
Perforated printed paper, needle-embroidered with cotton thread in knot and throw stitch, chalcedony beads, perforated aluminium and iridescent mineral pigment. 29,7 × 42cm
I revisited the hands of Flora from the work of Francesco Melzi. I perforated them to transfer pigment powder onto other surfaces, as I do when transferring an embroidery pattern onto fabric. The reverse side of the paper displays an imprint of the goddess’s hands, emphasizing the connection between the original image and its role as a matrix. They embody both the concept of knowledge transmission and the passage between mediums. The contrast between the precision of the perforations and the alterations they cause gives the works a dual nature: they are both witnesses of an aesthetic process and fragments of a technical gesture. The perforations suggest a suspended, immaterial action, while the embroidery stitches evoke tangible creation. Originally conceived as tools for transfer, the perforations themselves become an artwork, embodying a dialogue between the original and its metamorphosis.
Emmanuelle RAPIN
GENEALOGY, 2024
Plaster, rose branch and thorn, cotton thread embroidery on copper wire. 90 × 28 × 11 cm
I embroidered the word GENEALOGIE with white cotton thread onto two copper wires. It unfolds vertically, resembling a fragile spine. Connected to a dried rose branch, this structure highlights a genealogy that extends beyond the human sphere to root itself in nature. The rose branch, fragile yet persistent, embodies the biological and symbolic roots that link humanity to its environment. A "vegetal memory" is inscribed within humanity – a silent yet omnipresent memory. From foundational myths to everyday practices, plants nourish, heal, and inspire, becoming vectors for the transmission of knowledge. The cotton thread, of plant origin, becomes the material support for a textile writing that narrates this continuity between humanity and nature, with each sewn stitch preserving a fragment of this shared memory.
Emmanuelle RAPIN
TRANSMISSION, 2024
Woven copper threads, hair embroidered with a Lunéville crochet, cotton thread. 24 × 28cm
I embroidered the word "transmission" using my own hair, with a Lunéville crochet, onto a copper weaving. Copper, a conductive and industrial material, symbolizes modern communication, forming a vibrant network that evokes connectivity and the flow of information and energy. Hair, too, is a conductive fiber. It carries memory and identity through the DNA I inherited. This network of threads and knots becomes a poetic map of transmission across generations, uniting energy, heritage, and human legacy in a dialogue between an organic element and a human-shaped technical material.
