Sous-couches - Pascale Blaison

From June 24 to 26, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., she will teach us how to sculpt mattress foam.

Passionate about visual arts as much as theater, Pascale Blaison began her career as an actress in Nîmes, where she was born. In 1982, she “moved to Paris” to attend classes at the Jacques Lecoq School. She then had a decisive encounter with Philippe Genty. She took part in the creation of Dérives in 1989 at the Théâtre de la Ville, followed by its international tour over four seasons.

Since then, she has collaborated as a builder, puppeteer, or actress with numerous theater and dance companies, including:

Le Théâtre du Frêne – directed by Guy Freixe
Nada Théâtre – B. Masson, JL Heckel
Théâtre de la Véranda – Lisa Wurmser
Le Théâtre du Nord – Stuart Seide
L’Eventail – Marie Geneviève Massé
L’Equipée – Giberte Tsaï
Toda Via – Paula Giusti
Théâtre de Romette – Johanny Bert
La Nef – JL Heckel
Plexus Polaire – Yngvild Aspeli
Théâtre de la Huchette – Hélène Cohen
Cie Les Larrons – Xavier Lemaire

She also mentored students from three graduating classes at the National School of Puppetry Arts in Charleville-Mézières. She currently teaches at Théâtre aux Mains Nues and at La Nef in Pantin.

Mattress foam offers a wide range of mechanical qualities and levels of resistance. Although the raw material may seem unappealing at first, it has strong expressive potential that interests character manipulators and puppeteers. Easy to work with, it allows expressive results that can be animated without the need to add joints or control rods.

Sculpting, or direct carving, is an experience close to archaeology… it involves uncovering a form from the mass of material in which it is embedded. The advantage of the sculptor is that they know what they are looking for!

It is therefore a journey inside a solid space, where finding the right gesture allows you to carve your way around the object that gradually emerges.

Step 1: Drawing the character

At full scale, the character is drawn from the front and in profile, then cut out. Like a dressmaker’s pattern, this model will serve as a reference throughout the process.
Materials: paper, pencil, ruler, set square.

Step 2: Moving into 3D

After cutting a foam cube of the required dimensions from the mattress, the patterns (cut-out drawn silhouettes) are transferred by tracing them onto the faces of the cube. You can then imagine the character inside.

Sculpting begins by cutting away all the foam outside the outlines. Gradually, and layer by layer, material is removed to reveal the character (“diving into the foam”). You constantly refer back to the pattern, transferring it onto the increasingly sculpted volume. Markers, utility knife blades, and then flat scissors are used for greater precision and smoothing. Each tool requires learning its specific gestures.

Step 3: Finishing touches

The finishing touches should enhance the expressive qualities of the sculpture—it is not about decoration. Shiny eyes can be added to make the gaze appear more alive. Some painted shadows or subtle color indications can suggest costumes or hair.

• 9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.: Welcome coffee

• 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.: Workshop

• 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.: Lunch break
  Lunch can be reserved on site (€12 incl. VAT)

• 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.: Workshop

Location: Motoco – 11 Rue des Brodeuses, Mulhouse – Small room on the ground floor

Fee: Free for Motoco residents, Plan d’Est members, and HEAR students – €30 incl. VAT for three days for external artists

Online registration required