Crafts and football? If the combo may seem improbable, it is quite natural in Lensois territory. “The Bollaert stadium is one of the most popular places in the area, with 30,000 seats for 35,000 inhabitants, and it is very close to the Louvre-Lens Museum … It therefore has all the qualities to host this young but already popular that is the International Exhibition of Crafts », estimates Céline Savoye, director of Lille Design, the partner association of the event for the design component.
For this sixth edition organized by the Chamber of Trades and Crafts of Hauts-de-France, 150 professionals in the fine crafts (jewelry, leather goods, violin making, fashion, etc.) will take over the stadium lounges, with a bird’s eye view of the lawn. “The Hauts-de-France region has always welcomed a lot of know-how, Caudry lace, for example, or many cabinetmakers … But it also carries an important culture of design with the headquarters of companies, such as La Redoute or Decathlon, which employ in-house or freelance designers who will then set up locally their agency “, continues the director of Lille Design.
This year, it is this design fiber that will be used and retained as the common thread of the Salon des Métiers d’Art, with a section of objects at the border between craftsmanship and design. “We have selected the creations of around thirty designers, including ceramics by Anne Berthelot, wooden birds by Pierre Baryga inspired by those by Charles and Ray Eames or re-gilded wallpapers by Atelier Potron Minet. They all take ownership of the artisanal history of the area with a fresh eye ”, explains Céline Savoye.
In the aisles of the living room will also be exposed a sofa end called Cannelé, made in Desvres, near Boulogne-sur-Mer, a former ceramic center whose director of Lille Design invites us to visit the museum to discover another side of the local craft traditions.
SIMA, Bollaert-Delelis stadium, avenue Alfred-Maës, 62300 Lens, from November 12 to 14.
Around the Show, Céline Savoye’s tips
Climb: The twin slag heaps of Loos-en-Gohelle. “The twin slag heaps of Loos-en-Gohelle, the highest in Europe, have become a place to walk. Ideal after a visit to the Louvre-Lens Museum. Once at the top, the point of view leads to Inner Flanders (Hazebrouck, Cassel). Spectacular!
Terrils 74 and 74A, Loos-en-Gohelle.
Visit: The City of Electricians. “Rehabilitated by the architect Philippe Prost, the City of Electricians, in Bruay-la-Buissière, is a marvel. One of the oldest mining towns in France (1856), now restored and open to the public since 2019, is at the same time an interpretation center, an exhibition space, a shop, an artists’ residence and it has many lodgings. The vegetable garden and orchard are incredible: it is also possible to participate in gardening tasks. ”
The City of Electricians, rue Franklin, Bruay-la-Buissière.
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