Les Simonnet
And Yet, They Fly
Marthe and Jean-Marie Simonnet have lived and worked together ever since they met at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris, where they graduated in architecture in 1970. Based in Griselles in the Loiret region, this artist couple focus on creating sculpted and painted works in polyester. They combine a rational, modular approach (a legacy of the architectural thinking that underpins all their work) with an organic visual aesthetic that became increasingly established in the 1960s. However, there is one particular area of creation, the Simonnets’ very own ‘Violin d’Ingres’, which is difficult to define. This is their monumental kites.
Since 1986, the couple have been developing an approach to kites that is not just decorative or simply playful, but genuinely structural. They have overcome the technical demands of securing and succeed in creating flexible, floating forms that open and close with the wind. Using a creative process that mirrors their land-based sculptures, the artists have deconstructed the structure of kites down to their key elements of line, plane and surface.
Having established that the most basic form of flight is the Trisquet (triangular in shape) Les Simonnet multiply this in a modular way in a sequence of combinations that allows the unexpected to emerge. By ignoring any need for symmetry, they recombine basic geometric shapes into increasingly complex volumes, resulting in truly technical marvels. The two creators accept that the final shape of their aerial sculptures, which is brought about by the play of the wind, will be changeable and ephemeral. It is like a poetic expression of each person’s presence in this world.
Les Simonnet, Gouttes d'or © Adagp, Paris, 2024.