Lalie Thébault Maviel / Our Daily Bread by Lalie Thébault Maviel

A collection of works by French artist Lalie Thébault Maviel. An archaeology-like book that compiles contemporary "bread" from an iconographic perspective (though the order may vary slightly). It is a subjective encyclopedia (artist's book) that leaves room for debate as to whether it truly examines the presence of bread in our lives and its political, social, economic, and aesthetic evolution.

This book features 156 images collected by the artist, arranged across the pages. Sourced from a variety of media, including social media, cookbooks, educational materials, and audiovisual archives, these images have been printed to the same scale, cut out, and manually arranged within the limited space of A4 pages. From raw wheat to the process of kneading, shaping, baking, storing, slicing, and buttering bread, and even its transformation into bread bags, bread chairs, and bread houses, the book presents various sizes and stages of bread without hierarchy, grouping them equally by theme from the perspectives of bread culture and iconography. As the pages unfold, memories of bread as a staple food come to mind, and bread functions as a catalyst for community.

Published in 2022 by SEPTEMBER BOOKS in a limited edition of 200 copies, the title is taken from a phrase in a Christian prayer and means "Our Daily Bread".

An edition like an archaeology of our more or less contemporary iconography of bread. A lacunary and subjective encyclopedia that reflects its presence in our lives and its political, social, economic, and aesthetic evolutions (artist's book).
Notre pain quotidien is a collection of images presented in the form of 156 iconographic spreads. Sourced from various media and mediums such as social networks, cookbooks, educational manuals, and audiovisual archives, these images have been printed to the same scale, cut out, and manually arranged on the confined space of A4 sheets. Transitioning from crumbs to wholeness, these spreads group together different aspects of the culture and iconography of bread without hierarchization, but thematically. As the pages unfold, a collective memory emerges around this staple food which acts as a catalyst for community—covering its production to its most varied uses.

Published in 2022 by September Books (ISBN 978-2-490572-09-0).

Lalie Thébault Maviel (born 1995) is a French artist whose practice focuses on images and publishing, with a point of view close to anthropology or archaeology. Her reflections are strongly influenced by societal issues and alternative lifestyles.