An interactive installation to nurture our sensibility to the living world
Maison Perrier-Jouët is pleased to present Embodied nature, an art installation by mischer’traxler studio, at Design Miami/ from the 1st to 5th December 2021. Since 2012, Maison Perrier-Jouët has collaborated with Design Miami/ in order to offer contemporary artists and designers an international platform for their creativity. As part of this mission, Maison Perrier-Jouët commissions talents, both emerging and established, to reinterpret its enduring relationship with art and nature – and in particular its Art Nouveau heritage – through the prism of the 21st century.
Maison Perrier-Jouët and the Austrian design studio mischer’traxler renewed a collaboration that first began in 2014 to continue their exploration of the relationship between mankind and nature. “The collaboration with mischer’traxler allows the House to project itself into a vision for a sustainable future. It introduces an emotional and meaning ful dimension that goes well beyond champagne”, comments Axelle de Buffévent, Style Director at Maison Perrier-Jouët.
EMBODIED NATURE BY MISCHER’TRAXLER:
AN INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCE WITH A COLLECTIVE REALITY
With their interactive installation Embodied nature, presented at Design Miami/ 2021, mischer’traxler invite us to regard all species, including mankind, as forming part of a whole, and to reflect on the importance of understanding this interconnectedness.
More than 100 artistic representations of species from all over the world are suspended in the space and displayed in a “cabinet de curiosités” which provides further information on them and on the relationships that exist between them. For mischer’traxler, biodiversity begins with what we can see – plants, flowers, birds – then, at ground level, all the smaller species, and finally the microbes and bacteria in the subsoil, which are invisible to the naked eye. It was important to represent all species on the same scale, drawing particular attention to those that are almost invisible, in order to emphasize the equality of their roles in the ecosystem. The species are also displayed on shelves surrounding Embodied nature. The shelves seem to dissolve towards the centre of the wall, which creates the illusion that the species are floating freely in their display boxes. When visitors approach, they see themselves on the wall as if they are looking at a mirror. However, instead of their reflection, they see an image of nature in all its diversity. The silhouette is composed of various species, which evokes a cognitive self-awareness that each of us is a part of nature.
Embodied nature is first and foremost a creative work and an emotional experience. “This emotional dimension is essential in our view. It is what captures the attention of the viewer, making them more receptive to the educational and philosophical message of the work, they explain. They add: We are designers, not scientists. It is important therefore to remember that Embodied nature is an artwork, the result of a creative interpretation. It gives us, for instance, the freedom to represent species alongside one another that would never be a part of the same ecosystem in the real world.”
As always in the work of mischer’traxler, Embodied nature is created using both traditional techniques – like small, handmade, colourful wire-mesh sculptures – and contemporary technologies – like laser-cutting, tracking software and real-time animation.
I AM NATURE: A MINDFUL PERSPECTIVE AT THE HEART OF PERRIER-JOUËT ACTIONS IN YEARS TO COME
Because art evokes an emotional response that can trigger a deeper understanding and awareness, the creative collaboration with mischer’traxler helps Maison Perrier-Jouët bring its commitment to a wider audience. Man, a living being among others: this message of equality breaks down barriers in order to redefine the relationship between humankind and nature. This is the viewpoint of Maison Perrier-Jouët, and the basis of its commitment in years to come. To nurture a sense of belonging to nature, have a positive impact on the ecosystem and implement a savoir-faire inspired by the living world – these priorities are at the heart of the House’s thinking and action. After promoting sustainable viticulture over the past few years, Maison Perrier-Jouët began an experimental regenerative viticulture programme last year in order to bring about a real transformation of its vineyard. These initiatives represent Maison Perrier-Jouët’s contribution to the future of the planet. A necessity, an emergency, a responsibility. Séverine Frerson, Perrier-Jouët Cellar Master, explains:“Above all, we are guided by respect for the ecosystem to which we belong. We strive as much as possible to limit the influence our activities can have on it.”
EXTENDING THE EXPERIENCE OUTSIDE OF DESIGN MIAMI/
Maison Perrier-Jouët is taking advantage of Design Miami/ to present the limited editions created by mischer’traxler for the Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque 2013 and Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque Rosé 2013 vintage cuvées. For these two gift boxes, the designers bring a positive and mindful perspective to the terroir of Maison Perrier-Jouët and its most essential quality: its biodiversity. Their delicate watercolors shed light on the complex mutual interdependencies that exist between the more or less visible living organisms and elements that make up the vineyard ecosystem. mischer’traxler illustrate the role that each element plays in this fragile equilibrium, which Maison Perrier-Jouët is committed to preserving, as it plans an ecologically responsible future for its vines and its wines. It is within this relationship of symbiosis with nature that the House has evolved since its very beginnings.
At the same time as the Design Miami/ exhibition, Maison Perrier-Jouët is offering a digital experience on a dedicated website and on social media. Everyone is invited to make their own portrait using elements of nature drawn by mischer’traxler for Embodied nature and share it on social media (#IAmNature).
The artistic vision of mischer’traxler – the interactions between man and nature – is in line with the mission to breathe new life into Maison Perrier-Jouët. Driven by creative freedom and inspired by nature for over 200 years, the House cultivates a joyful, positive vision of the world that aspires to shape a better future for all.
ABOUT MISCHER’TRAXLER
Austrian design duo Katharina Mischer and Thomas Traxler established mischer’traxler studio in Vienna in 2009. They work on design products, furniture items and installations with a craft-based approach that often also integrates technology. Conceptual and contextual considerations are essential to their work as an experimentation. Nature has been at the heart of their work for nearly 15 years. Their approach is above all artistic, but also philosophical and scientific. Their work has been exhibited throughout the world, including at Cooper Hewitt in New York and the Design Museum in London. It also forms part of the permanent collections of MAK in Vienna, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein and the Design Council in London, among others.
ABOUT MAISON PERRIER-JOUËT
Maison Perrier-Jouët was founded in 1811 from a couple’s shared love of nature and passion for art. From the start, they chose the Chardonnay grape variety as the signature of the House, defining the intricate floral style which sets Perrier-Jouët champagnes apart. Today, art and nature remain an endless source of inspiration, guiding our every action and creation: the way we tend our vines, craft our wines, and share our vision of the world – a vision of a life more rich in meaning, driven not by the urge to own, but the desire to thrive; a life lived with joy and purpose, in symbiosis with nature. Maison Perrier-Jouët: Fill Your World with Wonder.
