L'art dans l'air

When business entrepreneurs support artists 

The Aude artist Patrick Chappert-Gaujal likes to have a finger in every pie, always keen to experiment, not just with materials but also with all kinds of different venues. Hardly surprising in these conditions that several business entrepreneurs have thought of him for executing some of their more daring ideas. Thus, the artist received a commission to design artworks for the kitchens of les Grands Buffets, an unusual restaurant in Narbonne : « When Louis Privat suggested I think about it, I imagined open kitchens where the customers can see the chefs working among the ovens. I was therefore amazed when I visited the kitchens as they are not open to the dining room and my activity was really designed for the wellbeing of the workers, not to decorate the area for the clientèle. »

Clearly, working in a kitchen imposes some restraints. Therefore the location led the artist to work in stainless steel which is easily washed and unaffected by heat or humidity. « I had never worked with this material before I took up this challenge, continues Patrick Chappert-Gaujal. I therefore began to make an inventory of everything that can make a mark on aluminium, sanding, polishing, etc ». The restaurateur and the artist defined the spaces and formats and the artist created twenty artworks just for the cooks and chefs working in the restaurant. « I know that some employees are proud that these works have been created just for them » according to the artist […]