Published
Video duration:
5 min
Friday October 13, the 13 Heures leaves for Perche to meet Thierry Soret. For 40 years, he has been shaping roof weather vanes, as in the past, entirely by hand, which over time have become decorative objects.
It is a skill that requires a lot of attention to detail and constant attention. In contact with the raw material, every detail counts. Making weathervanes is a director’s job. In his workshop from another time, Thierry Soret is a special craftsman. It’s been 40 years since he settled down. He shapes zinc, copper, and brass like the old ones. Between the first cut of the shears and the finished work, it will be necessary to prepare the metal, sculpt the material to bring it to life, assemble and weld the elements. One week of work for each weather vane. Each creation is unique and responds to a personal order.
A passionate profession
In the small village of Perche where he grew up, Thierry Soret imagined and created almost all the weather vanes. In the past, they provided weather information and were part of daily life in the village, today they are decorative objects that beautify the area. In the evening, he visits his mother, Yvonne, to draw his works. A second day of work begins. He works part of the night to imagine his future weathervanes. After hotel clients presented their project to him, Thierry just had to get back to work for as long as it took until his clients were satisfied.