Design · 5 min

Willow in the Hands, a Summer at Fort Saint-Jean

There are places where the hands grow clever again. The MUCEM in Marseille is one of them. In the old Fort Saint-Jean, high above the open sea, summer brings ateliers for adults, in the open air, in rooms that have seen centuries. You come with empty hands and leave with something you made yourself.

An old place for new skill

Fort Saint-Jean has long guarded the entrance to the old harbour. Today it belongs to the MUCEM, linked by a narrow footbridge over the water. Between warm stone and wind you sit at long tables, the sea glittering, and for a few hours only what grows between your fingers counts.

Material that resists

In vannerie you work with willow, and willow has a will of its own. It is tough, it springs back, it wants to be soaked and bent. That is exactly what we love about craft. A material does not give in at once, you have to understand it. Once you have woven willow, you never look at a basket the same way again.

Why making things stays

An afternoon with your hands teaches more than a walk through a museum. You feel how long a simple thing takes, and suddenly understand the worth of old pieces. The summer ateliers change, sometimes willow, sometimes clay, sometimes cloth. Loveliest is the open-air series, plein air, with the sea at your back.