Laurent Descotils

Laurent Descotils is a contemporary French sculptor known for his innovative kinetic sculptures, inspired by artists like Jean Tinguely, Rebecca Horn, and Arthur Ganson. His works exhibit a fascination with the intricacies of mechanics, where gears, belts, and other components form an almost organic, moving art. Descotils describes himself as vibrating "from head to toe" in front of the wild, unpredictable nature of a finely tuned mechanism, and his collaborative approach with his machines gives his creations a unique, dynamic life.

Descotils left formal education at age 15, hoping to put an end to studies but instead embarked on a varied and rich learning path. He first earned a CAP in modeling and ceramics, then studied arts and crafts at Duperré for four years, before finally immersing himself in stone sculpture at the Beaux-Arts. After completing his formal training, Descotils joined the Royal de Luxe theater company, where he worked on elaborate large-scale puppets like the Giraffe, the Elephant, and Xolo the Dog, bringing these "Giants" to life through precise movements as a Lilliputian puppeteer on international tours.

Though a project with choreographer Philippe Découflé for the World Cup never materialized, Descotils continued to refine his craft through exhibitions across Paris, Geneva, Tokyo, and Barcelona. His exhibitions brought him closer to his kinetic art, where he combines technical skill with a playful freedom, guiding his machines in a partnership that keeps his work continually evolving.