N 46° 54’ / E 6° 34’

N 46 ° 54’ / E 6 ° 34’ reinterprets the classical notion of a readymade. In the manner of Duchamp, we let the viewer see a familiar, seemingly worthless object in a new context. The new readymade must be desirable, question the initial object and add a value though this switching of contexts. Through a change in materiality the chestnut branches obtain a new interpretation and hence a new value.

These fragile chestnut branches, found in Fleurier, in the region of Val-de-Travers, Switzerland were transformed by a traditional craftsman, Gilles Petit, into a completely different material - bronze. Following the traditional process of «lost form casting», the branches are molded in plaster. Heating the plaster to a high temperature burns the wood out, leaving a cavity for the molten bronze. Once the molds are broken, and the casted branches released, they obtain a chemical treatment which gives them a dark patina and a natural appearance. Through the passage of time, the patina changes and lets the object age gracefully.

Once mounted on the wall these branches – natural readymades, become poetic coat racks.