December 2019
Maison Perrier-Jouët X Andrea Mancuso at Design Miami/ 2019 Maison Perrier-Jouët renews the dialogue between nature, champagne and design with Metamorphosis: a collection of six glasses and a champagne bowl by Italian designer Andrea Mancuso, of Analogia Project. It will be on display in a singular setting throughout Design Miami/ 2019. This collaboration is infused with Maison Perrier-Jouët’s vision of reinvented nature. It forms part of an artistic tasting ritual, exploring the metamorphoses of nature and the way the House transforms grapes into champagne using over 200 years of savoir-faire.
Inspired by the Art Nouveau heritage of Maison Perrier-Jouët
Creative liberty and an unconventional observation of nature are an integral part of Maison Perrier-Jouët’s history and are also characteristic traits of Art Nouveau, a movement the House is closely linked to. “This cultural heritage served as the inspiration for Andrea Mancuso for the creation of Metamorphosis. Loyal to the ethos of Art Nouveau, Mancuso’s work for the House unites traditional craftsmanship with modern technology and is infused with Maison Perrier-Jouët’s vision of reinvented nature”, explains Axelle de Buffévent, Style Director at Maison Perrier-Jouët.
Mancuso’s narrative design brings Perrier-Jouët cuvees to life
Following his conversation with Maison Perrier-Jouët Cellar Master Hervé Deschamps, Mancuso found that the six cuvees in the collection have, each, a unique history and personality, which he has interpreted with a dedicated glass. Andrea Mancuso explains that “Perrier-Jouët champagne isn’t simply aromas and flavours: it is also a catalyst for stories, surprises and emotions”. Just like his designs.
Hervé Deschamps adds: “The Perrier-Jouët non-vintage cuvees are captured with the unbridled growth of blooming nature, with roots and leaves climbing up the stem to embrace the bowl of the glass. Whereas developed nature is interpreted with elegant, structured lines to evoke the Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque cuvees”. Meanwhile, the champagne bowl recalls the iconic anemone flower designed for the House in 1902 by Emile Gallé, a Master of Art Nouveau.
The glasses were crafted by Murano-based glassblowers Fondazione Berengo, using the highly demanding practice of lost-wax casting, an ancient technique also favoured by Art Nouveau artists. The distinctive colours, the intricacy and the scale of Mancuso’s designs have been translated into delicate, crystal sculptures. The same meticulous method was used for the champagne bowl.
An immersive installation to step into the House
At Design Miami/ 2019, Metamorphosis is presented in a spectacular setting that connects the House’s vineyards with its cellars and the champagnes themselves. The immersive scenography was inspired by Mancuso’s visit to Epernay, where he was moved by the ethereal atmosphere of the shadowy silence he discovered in the cellars, and the vibrant colours and light of the House’s vineyards. His interpretation of this experience aims to stimulate the curiosity of the viewer and interact with them by intercepting the familiar with the unexpected. The shape of each of the 11,000 mounted ceramic pieces recalls bottles maturing in the cellars, while the palette forms an image of the Perrier-Jouët vineyard during the harvest. The collection of glasses is displayed across six alcoves, theatrically presented on stands made using lost-wax casting. This unique installation was realised alongside two Italian ceramicists: Alessio Sarri and Nuevoforme.
The Metamorphosis collection of glassware forms part of a new artistic champagne experience that captures “the whole, complex, creative story of Maison Perrier-Jouët told through ritualistic objects and actions”, adds Mancuso.
Metamorphosis embodies Art of the Wild – the extravagant universe seen by Maison Perrier-Jouët to re-enchant the everyday through the presence of unbridled nature. This vision is shared by Andrea Mancuso, who describes Art of the Wild as the most beautiful, purest expression of nature.
About Andrea Mancuso
Andrea Mancuso is a Milan-based Italian designer with a background in furniture and lighting design. In 2011, he co-founded Analogia Project, a multidisciplinary practice that uses design as a means to distort reality and to provoke emotional connections with the viewer. Though his work takes shape in a variety of mediums, its defining character is its ability to tell a story. Every object, installation and interior transports the viewer through history, culture, time and space.
About Perrier-Jouët
Founded in 1811 in Epernay, Maison Perrier-Jouët is one of France’s most historic champagne houses, but also one of its most distinctive, renowned for its floral and intricate champagnes which reveal the true essence of the Chardonnay grape and an enduring tradition of savoir-faire – an unparalleled expertise of only seven Cellar Masters since its foundation. A boutique house with a family spirit, Perrier-Jouët has been profoundly influenced by its founders’ love of nature and art – twin inspirations which allow it to create exceptional experiences and moments of wonder that enhance everyday life. Since its 1902 collaboration with Art Nouveau pioneer Emile Gallé, creator of the anemone design for its Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque prestige cuvee, Perrier-Jouët has commissioned work from established and emerging artists including Bethan Laura Wood, Daniel Arsham, Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance, Miguel Chevalier, Makoto Azuma, Tord Boontje, Studio Glithero and Simon Heijdens, and more recently Vik Muniz, mischer’traxler, Ritsue Mishima, Andrew Kudless and Luftwerk.
