Élisabeth Busson's relief works in the Salon d'Honneur of La Mamounia

From 15 October to 15 November, La Mamounia presents "Les Savoir-Faire du Monde", an exhibition by Élisabeth Busson in the palace's Salon d'Honneur, as part of its autumn programme.

Busson is the creator of Haptillisme, from the Greek haptomai, "I touch". Her relief works on Plexiglas turn the museum rule of not touching into an invitation, "Please touch": they are meant to be felt with the fingertips as well as seen, a return to the tangible that she offers as an antidote to the virtual.

Her technique sits between stained glass and goldsmithing. Each form is built by hand, stitch by stitch, with no collage and nothing added: the relief comes from the gesture alone. Three dots, like an ellipsis, mark every piece, leaving the next chapter of each story to the viewer.

The new series portrays women artisans and their crafts: the glassblower, the dyer, the calligrapher, the mosaicist, the diamond cutter, the sail maker and the keeper of herbs. The catalogue of the exhibition also features other portraits, among them The African Totem.