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Discover fine crafts differently with
Sens & Matières

Don’t be content any longer with simply contemplating the subtlety and elegance of fine crafts. Become the creator of your own unique work with a little help from a master craftsperson and a superlative sensory immersion in their world. An innovative project promoted by the Grand Est Chamber of Trades and Crafts.

Creative experiences on your doorstep

Sens & Matières,
total immersion
in fine craftsmanship

Sens & Matières invites you to participate in an innovative sensory experience. Step into the intimate world of a master craftsperson and acquaint yourself with their creative universe. Immerse yourself fully in the processes involved in transforming materials by creating your own unique work yourself. Follow the advice of an experienced art professional well versed in handling complex materials. Then go home with your creation, all the richer for an adventure combining discovery and sharing.

Sens & Matières is designed for all the curious-minded, fine crafts enthusiasts and families who are looking to awaken their five senses and take part in the creation of unique objects. No previous experience required, just a desire to create and share.

An integral part of our cultural heritage, the skills involved in fine craftsmanship are so fascinating partly because they seem so inaccessible. Sens & Matières aims to overcome the complexities of such skills through an exclusive, innovative concept.

The Sens & Matières adventure, an innovative creative privilege

Throughout the year, the Grand Est’s finest craftspeople, selected for their extraordinary technical mastery, are here to open up their creative world to you. An enriching, immersive encounter, inviting you to move beyond your perceptions and preconceptions. A unique experience shared with a master craftsperson, ready to reveal the greatest secrets of their techniques to you.

The incredible diversity of fine crafts

A legacy of age-old knowhow, fine craftsmanship has evolved over the centuries, continually enriching itself with a diversity of practitioners, practices and specialities. Furniture, architecture, fashion, restoration of artworks…the list goes on. At the crossroads of technique and material, master craftspeople distinguish themselves in a whole range of fields.Today, a total of 198 professions are listed by the National Institute of Arts and Crafts, in 16 different activity sectors. And although some are well-known to the public at large, others, more unexpected, await their discovery!

Who are the master craftspeople selected?

Dedicated to their professions, the master craftspeople selected are women and men from the Grand Est who envisage, design, create and restore unique pieces and outstanding objects. They draw on a legacy of acknowledged expertise, handed down from generation to generation. Awe-inspiring technical skills and creativity, enabling them to turn complex materials into true works of art. Between tradition and innovation, our master craftspeople are the guardians of priceless and increasingly rare skills. Acquainting yourself with a master craftsperson and their work means enjoying the privilege of immersing yourself fully in a world like no other, where unparalleled dexterity combines with unique techniques.

Find out more

Raising the profile of the region’s fine craftsmanship

The Grand Est Chamber of Trades and Crafts, in partnership with the Regional Tourism Agency and the Grand Est Region. By raising the profile of the region’s fine craftsmanship through further development of the concept behind the “Essences & Matières” exhibition (created in 2015) with addition of a tactile “materials and techniques” aspect, the Grand Est CTC hopes to make fine crafts tangible and accessible to as many people as possible. A very special initiative fostering development of our cultural and artistic heritage.