L'atelier de Sculpture sur bois

Sylvain and Vincent are currently seeing to the sculpture workshop, taking over from Stéphanie and Virginie (doing a 3 — year retreat) and Simon. As is often the case in many other temple workshops, and although they already have some notions about woodwork, Sylvain and Vincent are beginners. They therefore have to spend a lot of time training themselves on soft wood like limewood or on medium, so as to acquire the requested technical mastery. They will as a fact soon get involved in big projects connected with the altars and the temple decoration. In the meantime they have a go at small orders from private individuals or from the Bordo Centre, in Italy.

Lama Kunkyab visits them regularly to teach sculpture, and Philippe comes twice a week to train them into wood — turning. A professional sculptor has also taught Vincent how to sharpen tools.

They start from a drawing made by Norbou or Lama Kunkyab. A design meant to be sculpted is generally easier than one meant to be painted, as it is rather difficult to transfer and give volume to the smaller details on a piece of wood.

Learning about sculpture starts with a right appreciation of the drawing. Studying it therefore does matter, even if that means reproducing it several times, so as to well integrate the movement before applying it to a volume.

Once the drawing is well understood, one selects the material the ornament will be made out of.

Next, with the help of a stencil we reproduce the drawing on to the wood surface, then start to sculpt. First we " hollow out to the bottoms ", i.e. We reach for the deepest level, where the wood block is to be the most hollowed out, and afterwards define the general outlines, before getting little by little more and more into the details of the motif. The idea is to go from the roughest to the finest.

This workshop is quite well provided with tools and equipement, this allowing us to simultaneously carry out several jobs. Besides the hand - sculpted pieces we're also making the jewels due to ornate the balcony's handrail, using the lathe.

Vincent and Sylvain are at the moment working on part of the Pema Cheutse, an ornamental frieze representing lotuses petals topped with a pyramidal cluster of small cubes. The cubes are sawed using a fretsaw then put together, whereas the petals are sculpted on a piece of wood shaped as 1/4th of a cylinder. This is a traditional element of decoration in Tibetan temples. A cast of this 1 metre — long original piece will be taken, out of which the staff (plastermoulding) due to frame the Big Temple doors and windows as well as the Buddhas' recesses will be made.

Carrying out this first project will allow them to gain some experience before moving on to the central altar project, of a bigger scope. This huge venture has already begun : the dismantling of the main altar is under way and, following a project survey which has been carried out thanks to computer — animated simulations, a new and more traditional arrangement of (notably) the statues is going to be set up. Such an undertaking implies a close collaboration between the wood sculpture workshop and the carpenter.

It is due to be completed for the next coming - out of retreat, in about a year and a half...

Close the window