LACQUER MASTER
(LE MAÎTRE DE LAQUE)
a documentary by Bastien Robilliard and Christophe Castagne

In the mountains of Chengkou, in Central China, lives an amazing artist. He is French. His name is Vincent Cazeneuve, but everybody there calls him « Wensen Qi ».
Because « Qi » is the name of a unique and mysterious substance that drips from the forests of Chengkou. It is the sap of tree, better known as « Lacquer »
Raw lacquer is toxic. It contains a potent allergen that can provoke severe skin reactions. Yet, lacquer has been used in China for thousands of years. Firstly, due to its natural chemical properties, it could protect wooden objects from water, fire and insects. From tools to weapons, from habitat to coffin, lacquer has played a crucial role in the development of Chinese civilization.
Over the centuries, new qualities were discovered. By using the right techniques, lacquer could bring a soft and silky touch and display a unique brightness and deepness of colors. So much so that lacquer became a perfect medium for Chinese artists.
Vincent earned his name twenty years ago, when he moved to China and began devoting his life to the study and practice of those ancient techniques that could turn this raw and thick material into a most delicate form of art.
Vincent is now a “Lacquer Master” recognized and respected by his Chinese peers. In his quest to always deepen his understanding of lacquer, Vincent challenges himself with a new work of art that will push his skills and dedication even further.
Vincent lives among the farmers whose bodies are burnt and hand blackened by the everyday contact with the poisonous sap. With them, he goes always deeper into the wild forests of Chengkou, climbs the trees, cuts the trunks to collects a few drops of the purest lacquer.
In the green valley of Panlong, Vincent collects « ramie ». This plant provides a long and resistant fiber that Vincent learns to weave. In the yard of his farm, seated in front of his wooden loom, Vincent intertwines the threads to create the canvas for his new work of art.
In search of cinnabar rocks, the mythical “Chinese Red” pigment, Vincent goes to explore the abandoned mines of Guizhou. He finds the remains of the Temple of Baowang, the forgotten god of Cinnabar.
Back to its farm of Chengkou, Vincent crashes the rocks bits by bits. He applies the lacquer, layers after layers. In repetitive tasks that seem endless.
Finally the masterpiece reveals itself. As we fly over it, we seem to recognize all the lands crossed by Vincent: the dark forests of Chengkou, the green valley of Panlong, the red cliffs of Guizhou. And all the people of the lacquer. And the whole world of Vincent.
Vincent fascinates me. I have never seen someone so committed. Vincent is not a dreamer. He lives in a very concrete world. He accepts the reality and the nature of things. But he does not submit to it. He faces it, to understand it, to transform it, to tame it. To integrate it to its own nature.
And it is a constant dialog between a man and a matter.
And the more the lacquer reveals its beauty, the more Vincent finds his place in this world

Bastien Robilliard – Pitch It!