Jeanne Briand & Romain Azzaro / 'Gear(s)'

Jeanne Briand, an artist whose essence is deeply intertwined with the element of glass, and Romain Azzaro, a renowned Franco-Italian composer, present their project ‘Gear(s)‘. This album represents an expansion of their respective creative universes; sound and matter are shaped and channeled into a fluid dialogue.

Jeanne Briand’s essence oozes a symbiotic relationship with the element of glass. What links you to it and where does this passion for shaping it stem from? Is it something that has fascinated you since childhood?

Jeanne: During my childhood my mom was a make-up artist who specialised in special-effects and body-painting. She would practice on my twin and I, making us bold or looking older, adding an eye, taking off an ear, faking a scarf or a piercing. I was fascinated with the way she could deconstruct bodies, transform and create new narratives. I think it had a determinant impact on me and the way I approach materials. I first worked with glass in 2009 and found its meaning. To me, glass represented scientist laboratory gears. And it was exactly the idea behind the “Random Control” project, a series of glass uteri. I think the trigger point was when I learned that my twin brother and I had been conceived in vitro, and then I started obsessing about glass. But then I wanted to go beyond any kind of “auto-fiction”, which seems a bit restrictive to me. This first glass-uteri sculptures got me admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris. As a student there, I had no access to any glass studio so I started an internship with a glassblower. It was a turning point for me, to see for myself all one could physically achieve with glass. I became addicted to the heat, the oven’s sound, the oven’s doors, the flames, and everything about a glass-blowing studio. One can never entirely control this burning material. At best, one can only tame it with fierceness and humility. I have no words to describe what it is like to see a burning liquid glass going solid in an instant. I just love it.

“To me, glass represented scientist laboratory gears”

Photos © Jeanne Briand

Glassmaking is a technique with a long history and tradition. In Italy, Venice plays a very significant role in this regard. Is there a place or a story that holds particular value for you both?

Jeanne: Pink Floyd’s Pyramid! I’m also fascinated by 1st-century Roman iridescent glass, stunning fragments of which can be seen in Lisbon’s Gulbenkian collection. They look like they’re from another planet.

Over the years, Briand has worked with major houses like Margiela and Guerlain. What key themes or aspects of your work do you aim to bring to each collaboration? Are there particular elements you wish to highlight more prominently in society through your collaborations?

Jeanne: Whenever I collaborate with luxury houses, it’s to pay homage to something or to valorise what can be considered as “waste” in the industry. I work a lot with objects and materials that can be crafted and mutate into something new.

“This first album was the testimony of our mutual love for music”

Photos © Super Dakota

Your upcoming album ‘Gear(s)’ is a collaborative intertwining between Jeanne Briand and Franco-Italian instrumentalist, composer, and producer Romain Azzaro. Tell us about your first encounter. What sparked the harmony, and what differences did you both have that somehow complemented the vision?

Romain: We met with Jeanne in 2006 in a concert in Paris, and had a love story for 10 years, during these teenage times we where both artistically evolving on each side, Jeanne was exploring the realm of making glass at the Beaux arts of Paris and i was in the end of my Punk bands era (as a Guitarist and Singer) and started to discover the beauty of electronic music.
When we were both discovering nightclubs and dance music, we dreamed of making music together.

The tracks on ‘Gear(s)’ embody a maximal exaltation of nature and evoke a sort of meditation practice, with the ability to estrange from the external world. Was this the core of your work, or what sensations do you seek to evoke?

Romain: After moving to Berlin in 2011, we separated. We both had a big artistic evolution, Jeanne still with her Glass and contemporary art works, and myself with experimental music… After couple of years, we got back artistically together with our first album “A Gamete Glass Tale” in 2016, it was part of Jeanne’s exhibition “Gamete Glass” for her final exam at Les Beaux Arts of Paris. This first album was the testimony of our mutual love for music, so we filtered instruments (Guitar, Piano and Voice) into the Glass to make a very melodic and emotional, yet experimental album.

Gear(s) is part of another exhibition for the FTMA festival in Paris. We decided to invert the concept of the first album, it is more mechanical, so the Glass sounds filter through instruments and machines. The album is now being released on Paris-Venice-Berlin based Fluxus Temporis, a multidisciplinary platform bridging the gap between sound, spaces & arts.

Your work exudes an ethereal quality, embodying a philosophy of life. Can you tell us about yourselves as individuals? Are your daily perspectives, musical preferences, hobbies, and cultural choices in harmony with your creative essence, or do certain aspects stand out?

Romain: After 12 years in Berlin, I had the chance to explore a lot of different genres of music, from Punk Experimental with my moniker “Rouge Mécanique” to Classical music with my quintet “Romain Azzaro presents: Colours of Now” which developed during the pandemic. As I was trained in a piano conservatory it was a great time for me to explore this. In the last 5 years I dedicated most of my time to a more spiritual path with my guitar, exploring vibrations and healing harmonies.

Art is also about stepping out of one’s comfort zone. Is there an imminent, perhaps unexpected project you are working on or would like to experiment with?

Romain: Coming from a family of fashion designers and Perfumers (Loris Azzaro) I grew up surrounded by designs, smells, colours and textures. I always had this dream to create a perfume with its bottle and an Album. I am writing a classical guitar album since 2 years now and who knows when it will be ready, once it is I will figure out how to match a smell and a bottle to it.

Gear(s) Link: https://fluxustemporis.bandcamp.com/album/gear-s

Photos © Jeanne Briand & Artworks

Jeanne & Romain