The natural grain of wood takes flight

Anna Le Corno Woodenwings

The natural grain of wood takes flight

In Woodenwings, Anna Le Corno transforms twelve different wood species into a fierce falcon poised above the dial.

Smoked eucalyptus and dark blue-dyed birch are among the materials used to create the bird, whose plumage is rendered through a combination of circular marquetry, sculpted layered marquetry and a feather-by-feather assembly technique developed specifically for the wing.

At only three millimetres in height, the composition required microscopic carbide bits, surgical-style scalpels and custom sanding instruments, with much of the work performed under binocular magnification.

Interview

What was the main challenge of the project?

The greatest challenge was creating volume within such a restricted space.

I am accustomed to working on large furniture pieces and sculptural objects, where I enjoy large surfaces that allow me to create relief and highlight the material’s natural texture and character.

More broadly, my work is always about highlighting the natural grain of wood while combining it with dyed woods treated with vivid pigments.

On my larger pieces, the grain is immediately visible and viewers can fully immerse themselves in the materiality of the wood. This becomes much more challenging at a smaller scale. But what interested Vacheron Constantin was precisely this sculptural approach to wood and how it could be transposed onto the miniature scale of a watch dial.

To achieve this, I had to completely rethink both my tools and my techniques. I also had to learn to work under binocular magnification.

This involved sourcing highly specialised instruments as well as creating some custom-made tools myself.

It was essential to find the right balance between natural wood species and brightly coloured dyed woods that could catch attention and enhance the beauty of the natural material. At such a small scale, every minute detail had to contribute to revealing the wood’s richness and texture.

What does this project represent for you?

What fascinates me most is the dialogue with the material itself, with wood.

This project allowed me to develop an even deeper understanding of it.

The more I sculpted and experimented, the more I discovered entirely new possibilities within the material. It became a stimulating process because I constantly had the feeling that an idea that seemed technically possible in my mind could actually work in reality.

And once executed, the result would often surprise me positively, creating unexpected effects and opening up even more possibilities.

That dynamic of experimentation continued throughout the entire process until the final result.

that sense, it was a particularly rewarding and inspiring project for me.

About Anna Le Corno

Originally trained in architecture, Anna Le Corno pursued her studies at the prestigious Parisian craft school École Boulle, specialising in woodwork.

She has risen to prominence through contemporary furniture, sculptural works and decorative objects that explore the expressive possibilities of wood, fusing the ancient art of wood marquetry with modernity.

Her poetic yet highly technical approach earned her the Grand Prix de la Création de la Ville de Paris in the Emerging Talent category.

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Patricia Holdener 

Editor-In-Chief

Luxe Mgazine Switzerland 

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