A creative laboratory of local materials, gestures, and time
Located in the Tarn region in Occitanie, Puech des Heures is a creation and publishing project rooted in a singular territory: a forest, clearings, a former granite quarry, and a mindful relationship to time.
The project explores how local natural resources — wood, plants, fibers, paper, stone — can become objects, editions, and prototypes, designed in small series or as unique pieces.
Puech des Heures is a place of experimentation, where materials are observed, carefully gathered, transformed, and narrated, in a constant dialogue between landscape, use, and contemporary creation.
Puech des Heures is based on a few simple principles:
– Working from the existing resources of the site
– Respecting natural rhythms and seasonality
– Favoring artisanal gestures and limited editions
– Creating dialogue between plant, mineral, and fiber materials
– Producing objects that carry meaning, function, and narrative
The project does not aim for abundance or standardization, but for coherence between material, form, and territory.
Objects and Editions of Puech des Heures
The creations are organized around open lines of research that evolve with the seasons and collaborations.
Wood, basketry, and forest forms
Chestnut, holly, forest branches: woven objects, wall pieces, lighting, or lightweight structures.
Wood is worked for its flexibility, its grain, and its direct relationship to the landscape.
Fibers and textile materials
Animal and plant fibers, threads, felts, tufting, hybrid assemblies.
Fiber is used as a structural, decorative, or narrative material, in connection with the other resources of the site.
Edible and cosmetic materials
Limited editions of products sourced from the territory or developed through local partnerships: honey, herbal teas, jellies, hydrosols, essential oils.
Simple productions, shaped by seasons and the possibilities of the site.
Each production is conceived as a site-specific edition, not intended for large-scale reproduction.
The Site as a Laboratory
Puech des Heures is a place of applied research.
The forest, meadow, light, topography, and available materials directly inform the projects.
The site occasionally hosts moments of creation, experimentation, or production, in collaboration with artists, designers, and artisans. These extend the dynamic initiated with the Les Heures residency, while developing an approach focused on localized production and publishing.
The site is not a backdrop, but an active part of the creative process.
Collaborating with Puech des Heures
Puech des Heures is open to collaborations with:
– design, fashion, publishing, or cosmetics brands
– galleries and cultural institutions
– designers, artists, artisans
– companies or institutions engaged in territorial approaches
Collaborations may take the form of:
– limited editions or capsule collections
– material research or prototyping
– short residencies or exploration sessions
– site-specific, tailor-made projects
Each collaboration is conceived as a unique project, aligned with the territory and its resources.
Gesture and Territory
Landscapes, raw materials, making gestures, finished objects.
The project is told as much through process as through the forms produced.
Puech des Heures is an initiative by Made in Town, dedicated to exploring local resources, artisanal practices, and the connections between material, creation, and territory.
A project rooted in the long term.
A place where materials carry meaning.
