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Eric Giovannini's Art and Bears gallery - Paris.

 Passion and Techniques

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CONCEPTION AND REALISATION.

Never seen in the world, the exclusive conception
of my costumed and musical animals is the synthesis
of techniques coming both from Patchwork,
and "Haute Couture".

The basic techniques are close to those coming from
the end of the 19th century, when Margarete Steiff in Germany,
created her little animals in Velvet : My creations are entirely stitched
by hands ( no machine used ) and filled with wood wool from
poplar tree.

	... entirely stitched by hands.

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Each creation is a single piece comming from
one pattern especially designed for it. The "stitched
costumed" animal looks dressed as a "Trompe l'oeil".
The pieces of mohair and others precious
fabrics make his costume
like a Patchwork.

		Choice of fabrics			Drawing of the pieces
	Cutting out				Needlework and finishing touches
		The steps of making "Sylvestre" (See Créations - Show room 3)

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After using only mohair, I have associated prestigious fabrics
like velvet of silk and precious silk from Lyon - France, velvet from
Italy, lampas, damask, and brocades. I always use with discretion : ribbons,
braids, pompoms, laces, pearls, feathers, buttons gilded with fine gold and
recently, crystals from Austria. Most of creations include today a
musical movement operated by key from Swizerland.

	The courtier in a costume of gold - Details of the pieces of silk, mohair and velvet of silk.

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Due to these techniques, I need a long time to make one piece :
for example, "The Courtier dressed in a golden costume and
his little monkey" were made of 480 pieces of mohair,
velvet of silk and silk in more than 2 months.

My inspiration for the costumes covers the period from Middle
Age to Renaissance. It comes too from theatre and movies costumes,
fairy tales and enchanting stories from the childhood. These
costumes were after "revisited" and transformed by my
imaginary.

	Needlework of crystals on velvet of silk.

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A PASSION WHO COMES FROM CHILDHOOD

My passion for plush toys comes from my birth.
I was born in Lyon - France, with 15 bears and stuffed animals
in my cradle. My "nounours", french word for teddies, followed me
everywhere : on holidays, hidden in all suitcases I found, later on to
Saint Etienne where I studied arts at the "Ecole Nationale des Beaux Arts"
and then, to Paris where I studied Drama at the famous Antoine
Vitez courses in the National Theatre of Chaillot. Years passed
and my teddy family grew up, first, by the teddies of my
brothers I have "kidnapped" and after, by the
orphans I adopted in car boots
sales and flee markets.

In 1984, I met a french association of bears collectors and
10 years after, I took part in a training course to create my own
teddy. It was perhaps the greatest happiness in my life
to discover the little one I had given life to. Then, in
December 1995 I passed my first order of mohair
and since that day, my happiness is always
the same when I put the last stitch
on a new piece.


In France, the Teddy bear
was often considered as a simple "Doudou",
french word for "toy for baby". Sometimes, he went
to the trashbox when he became dirty or was simply
forgotten by his little owner. Today, I want to give to the
Teddy bear the right place he deserves, to preserve
him from forgetfulness and why not,
to open him the doors to
the World of Art.

The Courtier dressed in a costume of gold, and his little page.

Photos : Eric Giovannini