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_Workshop Introduction: Manu Puertas

Brussels Mag is a bi-annual magazine, dedicated to inspire and enlighten their readers with features on art and artisans. For their latest edition, they visited the Vervloet workshop to interview three of the craftsmen, Manu Puertas, Pascal de Braekeleer and Donatienne Grégoire. We bring the interview here in English, and this week we introduce to you the workshop manager, Manu Puertas.

Manu Puertas has worked at Vervloet since he was 18 years old, with the initiating role as a filer. This is the first and mandatory position newcomers are offered, a demanding job which includes degreasing, filing, sorting and cleaning. Basic training but which at the same time offers an insight into all the tasks in the workshop. Manu elaborates: ’In the beginning filing is quite the challenge. Your skin is still very sensitive and you can get badly hurt. Fortunately, the skin gets tougher pretty quickly. After filing you choose a specialty, depending on your skills, aptitude and preferences. My speciality was to apply the finishing coat.’

After years of improving his finishing technique, Manu started assisting a colleague to install on site, adjusting and placing finished pieces. ’This new experience gave me great satisfaction and often took me to extraordinary places’, says Manu.

Now as studio manager, Manu schedules the work agenda, monitors the follow-up and assigns tasks to the appropriate people. He is also the workshop’s problem-solver, analysing various issues and coming up with solutions. Manu explains: ’Real traditional work is full of surprises, nothing is mechanically produced here. Therefore it can sometimes be difficult to get the timing right and meet deadlines.’

Manu’s favourite Vervloet piece:
Pull handle number 25, a remarkable renaissance piece with the head of a lion.

To read more features from Brussels Mag, please follow this link

All photos @ Justin Paquay

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