Flathold was born of the encounter between an international route setter and a visual arts student, whose first experience together dates back to 2008.

A common goal: to create and develop shapes and grips, to fashion the foam so as to approach the feelings one gets on a natural line.

Testing gravity on the grips; imagining the movement possibilities they can offer on a wall; feeling the friction point. Beyond their basic function, the goal is to make the holds aesthetic. A random detail on the sculpture can be what gives harmony to the shape. «Sometimes you know in advance that you will want to make a crimp; after giving a function to the hold, the goal is to try to go a little further than simply offering grip, to give the shape life».

Inspiration starts as trial and error. The sculptor’s work that gives life to the different series draws from nature, without attempting to simply copy it. « You start a shape and you let yourself be guided. This is where the random aspect expresses itself in a way that could be described as similar to nature».

These two very different temperaments are what make up the essence of Flathold: friendship and collaboration in a project driven by a constant thirst for innovation.