The artist's process begins with carefully selecting a piece of stone, often a fragmented off-cut, for its character and potential. From there, the process is intuitive, allowing the form to emerge naturally rather than working towards a predetermined outcome. Thierry will let the stone guide each decision, responding to its shape, imperfections and materiality as the work unfolds.

The starting point for this project stemmed from an exploration of layers, a nod to pages in a book but more directly looking at the form of layered sedimentary stone in nature. An accumulation of time and memory. The stone selected for the works was sourced from architectural restoration offcuts; once cut into uniform blocks for utility, it is shaped to reflect a return to a more natural expression of its layered form.

The bookends are made from two contrasting types of stone, limestone and bluestone. The partially fragmented stones were further refined with a hammer and chisel, allowing them to naturally align with one another. Working with the existing character of the stone, a small blade on a die grinder was used to cut channels through the raw edges, creating a series of thin layers that emphasise the stone’s natural structure and reference the gradual formation of sedimentary rock over time.