Laurent joined us nearly a year ago, so it's high time we found out more about him!
Co-founder of Bureau Duplex, he has strengthened our team with his expertise in art direction, brand design and development, and the creation of communications concepts.
Thanks to him, the agency now has one more sportsman and he's making us more aware of the animal and ecological cause.
Ready to find out more about Laurent?
- A few key words to define yourself?
Enthusiastic, determined, simple, sensitive, stubborn, a bit clumsy too.
- A cause that's close to your heart?
I'm very sensitive to the fight for the climate, the animal cause and inequalities in general.
So I decided to put animal suffering before my own comfort: so I've been vegan for over a year, after being vegetarian for over 5 years.
I'd also like to get involved and be more active: in the meantime I'm making donations, following the media who are talking about it and trying to relay their messages. I'm convinced that explaining and encouraging helps people to better grasp the ideas for change. I try never to be judgmental and I do as much research as I can to deconstruct preconceived ideas.
- What's your favourite recipe?
A nice simple vegetable curry, done quickly and well.
Photo : Vegan confort food - this photo is not the curry in the recipe, but another appetising vegan dish.
Here's a list of the ingredients: garlic, shallots, various vegetables (sweet potato, courgette, aubergine, carrot, for example), red or green curry paste (it stings more or less), tomato paste, cumin, coconut milk, pepper/salt and lemon juice, a little chopped basil and a little chilli - chilli is always a good idea. Sometimes I even add tofu and/or a few mushrooms.
All served with jasmine rice, a splash of coconut milk and a few coriander leaves.
It's done in 20 minutes, keeps for several days and doesn't harm anyone.
- A trip to remember?
A very recent one: a month cycling through Spain and France.
Most of the trip was self-sufficient (preparing your own food, sleeping in tents). Of course, there were times when I slept on campsites and even in hotels, especially in big cities.
I realised that real comfort is having a bed and a bathroom, so even hotels that could be described as shabby had a little taste of palace. It has to be said that after a long day (between 150 and 200 km) in the heat or the Spanish deluge, it's royal to wash up and sleep in the dry.
Photo : Mediterranean coast
So I left Lausanne by train to reach Perpignan, my point of departure. From there, I headed for the coast, crossing Catalonia, the Valencia region, Murcia and Andalusia before finally arriving at Gibraltar. The Strait, a magical and magnetic place, I admit, marked the end of this surprising and sublime Mediterranean coastline.
Photo : Strait of Gibraltar
And then I started to head inland, crossing the whole country: Ronda, Antequera, Granada, Madrid, the high plateaux of the Aragon region, before arriving in Pamplona and finishing this Spanish journey in the Kingdom of Navarre. I still have vivid memories of the Bardenas Reales, a desert of clay formations, a completely lunar spectacle that I crossed before arriving in Pamplona. It was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the trip, both emotionally and physically. Something crazy happened that day.
Photo : Bardenas Reales
After that, I embarked on my final stage in Spain, heading for San Sebastian, a small town on the Atlantic coast. I arrived at the top of Mount Urgull, a natural balcony from which you can see most of the city, the ocean and the breathtakingly hilly surrounding countryside. Two days later I finally arrived in Bordeaux, the end of this journey after driving along the Atlantic coast and its endless Landes forests.
This trip is unforgettable: moving forward every day and experiencing so many changes, whether in landscapes, weather conditions, altitude, colours, energies and having the time and availability for myself, the time to experience my emotions and understand them, was really precious. These 23 days on the road have been fabulous, and I've come out of them grown up and serene.
- Your greatest sporting challenge?
I think it's this trip I've just mentioned and the one I did last year (Lausanne - Stockholm by bike).
Photo : My faithful steed
As well as being sporting, these trips have an undeniably human dimension.
Moving in a gentle and active way, with a reduced environmental impact, allows you to travel differently. I combine two things that I particularly enjoy: sport and travel. These trips are obviously big sporting challenges and allow me to push back my own limits (physical and mental), enjoy unexpected encounters and discover unsuspected territories, even just a few kilometres from home.
I loved this physical intensity. It pushes you to be in the moment, to hold on to the reality of the moment.
- What are your sources of inspiration?
They're less and less defined: a few years ago, it was mainly well-known graphic studios or ultra-creative freelancers, designers of all kinds and far-flung travels that inspired me. Now, I tend to look for simple, inner sources, such as nature, sport and human connections. Things are always changing, always on the move.
I also find it in people who fight for the climate, the planet, minorities and the animal cause. It's very powerful. I admire people who are capable of forgetting themselves and changing their scale, their point of view, seeing things more globally.
- What was your dream job as a child?
I was inspired by architecture from a very early age. It was my first job, and I worked in the field for a few years, but it didn't turn out to be what I wanted to do in the end. Graphic design took over and that's where I've flourished the most to date. In the future, I'd love to get closer to the causes that are dear to me and why not implement them in my work. A need for authenticity, no doubt.
- Do you have a big project coming up?
Yes, it's still very vague, but I'm thinking of going on a cycling trip (and not on holiday), with no 'defined' trajectory and no return date. That's not the only one, but we don't have enough time for that! :) It's good to dream, isn't it?
- Got a book lying around on your bedside table?
There's always loads!
Sometimes I'm very focused on one book, and other times I'm working on lots of things at the same time, and when I'm too excited about life and my projects, I can't read at all for a while.
(Laurent goes to check what he has on his bedside table, just to be sure, and comes back with several books).
Right now I'm reading Cher Connard by Virginie Despentes and L'Evénement by Annie Ernau. I'm also reading Forêt, a magazine by the publishing house La Relève et la Peste.
Photo : Forêts from La relève & la peste
I've also been reading and re-reading a book called Two Years on a Bike: it's the story of a Dutch graphic designer who travels by bike for two years. He took all the photos, wrote the text and laid out the book himself. Inspiring, you say? You bet!
- You can't beat it: dog or cat ;)
I think the answer is clear, I love all animals but I don't think Marius would be at all happy if I said cat!
Photo : Marius & Laurent
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Thanks Laurent! We can't wait to find out more about you!