Balafons

Sound Work | Poetic Journey

Aimanuel® is not just about contemporary art furniture and decorative works; it is also about the craftmanship of balafons.

This magnificent story could not be written without the name of Claude Luisier, my loyal friend and dear Master at the same time.

It all started in Paris in the 2000s, when I was still studying History and Political Science at university.

I had decided to abandon these promising studies in order to work with my own hands, in the despair of my great professors at the Sorbonne.

Indeed, although we didn’t have smartphones at the time, the magic of the internet was already at work.

I had found Claude Luisier’s track, who was then one of the only balafon makers in Europe.

Originally from Valais, he settled on the shores of Lake Joux, at the foot of the Jura Mountains, in one of the strongholds of Swiss fine watchmaking.

Claude has dedicated most of his life to perfecting the craftsmanship of the balafons, which he builds entirely by hand in his workshop.

That’s where I came to find him, to learn from him while making my own instruments with him.

First of all, the frames are traditionally assembled entirely by hand with half-wood and mortise-and-tenon joinery.

Next, the bars are tuned with an adze and a plane according to the chosen tone range.

Each bar has a calabash attached to it, tuned to the same note and designed to amplify the sound.

The bars are mounted on the frames using elegant and sophisticated braiding with leather straps.

Finally, the calabashes are suspended beneath the row of bars; the instrument comes to life, and the magic begins.

Each instrument is unique and requires several hundred hours of work.

The size, the number of bars, and the range are customizable.

The traditional woods mainly used are: Padouk (Pterocarpus Soyauxii) and Pao rosa (Swatzia Fistuloides)

These two exotic species are now protected. When Claude’s stock is exhausted, our creativity will be stimulated again to find alternatives in Swiss wood.

We already have some leads; there’s no shortage of ideas; and experiments are underway.

Our guiding principle is clear: just as true to the ear and even better for the planet.