Anyone who attended Salone del Mobile in Milan earlier this year will agree that fashion brands are moving into the furniture world, and taking over. Hermès is no exception. SLEEK’s New York correspondent Solynka Dumas attended the breathtaking launch of their home collection, “Here Elsewhere”, and below she gives us her account of the exclusive installation designed and directed by Robert Wilson.
Walking through the mirrored corridor that led to the first room of the presentation felt like entering a portal to the surreal. The ceiling of the small Chelsea warehouse was covered in white paper birds, chairs and tables were held in the air by strings as if they were flying and actors were stationed around the room randomly using the furniture. The cryptic sound of a violin was playing as a voiceover repeated these seemingly random words, “Hordes, leopards, tigers, cheetahs, cheetahs…” This left the viewer slightly confused but strangely eager to be transported in a poetic universe.
This mystical ambiance contrasted with the simplicity and sleekness of the objects being showcased. Colours were sparse, besides the British illustrator’s multicolored print, A Walk In The City, as well as red, green, orange or yellow lacquered wood centerpieces, natural-colored leather and oak wood were predominant. The organic and earthy tones of the furniture gave warmth to its geometrical lines. Particularly memorable was Rafael Moneo’s re-edition of the Oria chair, in oak, cane and gold leather, disarming in its beautiful simplicity. No details were left unattended, the electric cords of the lamps were covered in leather and a table had detachable top to reveal storage space.
The collection was the epitome of luxury design: objects as beautiful as art pieces with real practicality. These were pieces that looked beautiful but didn’t intimidate. They made you want to use them, to live in them.
The visit ended in a circus-shaped room, with two different women alternately dancing in the centre while 360° projectors dissiminated images all around. One of the dancers wearing the red sequin dress danced slowly while images of Hermès’ patterns and details of the furniture were hermetically streamed around her; the images seemed to represent the deconstruction of the artist’s creative process. This digital mood board was then replaced by a cheetah running in slow-motion around her. This moment of serenity was like witnessing the transition from the world of ideas to their realisation. The lyrics of the song from the previous room finally made sense, we had come full circle.
Images by Constantin Vider