Artist residency and textile upcycling workshops in Mâcon – Magikadou

An artist residency to explore upcycling and clothing transformation

In 2021, I developed a participatory art project as part of the Transat program, run by Les Ateliers Médicis, a national cultural institution based in Clichy-sous-Bois that supports contemporary creation and artistic projects in various regions. This residency took place in Mâcon and gave rise to the Magikadou project, a series of workshops exploring clothing, transformation, and the imagination.

The project's name comes from a childhood memory: in fairy tales, a good fairy transforms rags into a ball gown. With Magikadou , the magic wand is replaced by creative imagination and manual labor. Using forgotten, worn, or discarded clothing, participants experiment with different techniques to reclaim these garments and give them a new life.

This project is a continuation of my artistic practice and my work as a designer: exploring clothing both as a material and as a social symbol, while sharing an accessible and creative approach to upcycling.

A meeting with the children and young people of the Blanchettes neighborhood

The project took place over several weeks at the Point Enfance Local in the Blanchettes district of Mâcon. During this time, my workshop was temporarily relocated to their premises. The idea was simple: to create a space for meeting and dialogue centered around clothing and design.

At the beginning of this story is the arrival of a stranger in a living space. An artist who must learn to make himself known, while also getting to know the people who welcome him. Children, young people, and youth workers could come and observe the work, ask questions, and discuss the creative process.

At the heart of this encounter was also a large pile of clothing: forgotten, discarded pieces. These clothes became the central theme of the project.

A simple question was then posed to the children: what can be done with these clothes? How can we give them a new life?

Discover an artistic approach to clothing and creation

The work began with a
A discussion with the children about a few words: clothing, art, stylist, artist. Everyone was invited to share what these words evoked for them, opening up an exchange about how we look at clothes, images and the people who create them.

The first workshop then offered a drawing exercise . Each child chose a pose and lay down on a large sheet of paper while another traced the outline of their body. The silhouettes were then cut out to become flat paper garments that the participants could try on.

Assembled together, these forms composed a collective fresco, like a two-dimensional fashion show , exploring the relationship between body, clothing and image.

Playing with clothes to imagine new uses for them

Another workshop took the form
from a creative fitting session. The children experimented with different ways of wearing the clothes from the pile: normally, in an unconventional way, or sometimes absurdly. A garment could be worn by several people, repurposed, and unexpected silhouettes invented.

These games centered around clothing allowed for a spark of imagination and a questioning of the norms that dictate how clothing should be worn. This playful activity also introduced a reflection on secondhand clothing and the creative possibilities it offers.

Learning to transform clothes: an introduction to upcycling

The workshops then continued with a more concrete creation phase. The children learned to take their measurements, to create a simple T-shirt pattern, and then to cut pieces from second-hand clothes to make it.

The aim was to fill the paper surface of the pattern by cutting out pieces from the various garments in the pile. The children created unexpected patchwork and patterned assemblages through their cutting choices.

Finally, a last workshop allowed participants to discover some textile transformation techniques, such as tie-dye.

This process allowed us to discover the principles of upcycling in a concrete way: transforming rather than throwing away, and revealing the creative potential of already existing materials.

Through Magikadou , these participatory workshops provided opportunities to create, experiment, and discuss the role of clothing in our daily lives. By manipulating fabrics, transforming shapes, or inventing new ways to wear them, participants could experience firsthand—both literally and figuratively—the norms surrounding clothing.

This artistic residency also provided an opportunity to share a concrete approach to textile upcycling , showing that existing clothing can become a creative raw material.

These participatory workshops still nourish my design practice and the vision of my brand today: to transform rather than discard, and to make clothing a space for imagination and sharing to create new stories.