Perrier-Jouët reveals Cohabitare and the Banquet of Nature by Formafantasma

The ecological installation in the vineyard is complemented by an experience designed to share widely the conditions of biodiversity in Champagne.

For the latest chapter in its ongoing collaboration with today’s talents of art and design, Maison Perrier-Jouët is proud to present Cohabitare, a project years in the making, conceived by the renowned design studio of Formafantasma and rooted in the House’s vineyard. The designers have also curated the first edition of the Banquet of Nature by Perrier-Jouët.
As part of the House’s annual artistic collaborations, this new experience invites creative talents to interpret the House’s pillars art, nature and champagne at the table. The first element of Cohabitare is the Ilot de Biodiversité (Biodiversity Island) which will nurture a diverse range of species indigenous to the Champagne region. Adding a new dimension to its environmental commitment, the project is designed to evolve over the long term, becoming an interactive platform encouraging dialogue and education about biodiversity practices.

Established in 1811 by Pierre-Nicolas Perrier and Rose-Adélaïde Jouët, Maison Perrier-Jouët was born of
the couple’s love of art and nature, alongside their unique vision for champagne. Both Pierre-Nicolas and
his son Charles were botanists and horticulturalists, a passion which inspired their progressive ideas on
naturally harmonious viticulture and vineyard management. Two generations on, the botanist and seminal
Art Nouveau artist Emile Gallé decorated a Perrier-Jouët magnum with sinuous Japanese white anemones,
evoking the floral style of the House’s champagnes and symbolizing the enduring exaltation of nature at the heart of House, in a design that’s become the emblem of Maison Perrier-Jouët.

“Spurred by its heritage, Maison Perrier-Jouët encourages us to reflect the complexity of the living world
and to rediscover the importance of the environmental interconnectedness between species in order to better inhabit our world. The project created by Formafantasma within the Perrier-Jouët vineyard allows us to root our discourse in our own terroir, in the natural environment of the Champagne region, where it all begins,” explains Caroline Bianco, Culture and Creative Director of Maison Perrier-Jouët.

In 2024, Maison Perrier-Jouët is partnering with Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin, founders of
the Formafantasma design studio, whose holistic and conceptual approach to design introduces new
approaches in our relationship to the planet and to society, developing projects that contribute to local
biodiversity. Drawing direct inspiration from Perrier-Jouët’s experimental regenerative program, Cohabitare is a living manifesto of an environmental vision uniting biodiversity and agriculture, employing design as a transformative and vital force in Formafantasma’s first permanent project situated in nature.

“Design is a complex discipline often misunderstood as solely focused on desirability and beauty. At its best, however, design can offer solutions to complex realities and serve as a tool to learn from and celebrate nature. Our collaboration with Perrier-Jouët marks the first opportunity we’ve had to explore our interest in the life and behavior of flora and fauna, and how design can enhance biodiversity. The challenge is to demonstrate that design can not only draw inspiration from nature but also contribute to its well-being,” comments Formafantasma.

Cohabitare is an architectural intervention and a physical space dedicated to celebrating the productive
coexistence of multiple species and fostering a culture of ecology. The project necessitated two years’
research, during which Formafantasma consulted international experts in biodiversity and, in France,
collaborated with a scientific committee (a naturalist specialising in the management of land and
ecosystems, a doctor of entomology and landscape ecology, and an expert in regenerative viticulture)
established several years ago by Maison Perrier-Jouët. The committee was consulted during the pre-research phase and provided the designers with preliminary studies, data and analyses. Formafantasma has created an innovative work of architecture for non-human species — a long-term undertaking projected towards a better future, revealed to the public in September 2024, at Les Agusons, in Ambonnay.

The first part of the project, the Ilot de Biodiversité (Biodiversity Island) is a functional design location
activated by the birds, insects and plants for which the 285 sqm space has been reimagined. Keeping
humans at a respectful distance without cutting them off entirely, the installation uses seventy-four posts
designed by Formafantasma and structured by terracotta modules handcrafted in France, and finished in a range of natural iron oxide glazes whose bright colors attract the species. Some of the modules are designed to serve as a habitat for insects thanks to openings and cavities of various sizes and shapes. The indigenous plants of this protected space will provide food for the insects

Maison Perrier-Jouët hopes that the Ilot de Biodiversité will help to enrich local biodiversity, which will be
monitored, according to nature’s rhythms, by the experts on its scientific committee. A study will also be
launched, in partnership with the Natural History Museum in Paris, to establish biodiversity indicators
both for Cohabitare and for the vineyard plots managed with regenerative viticulture.

The Ilot de Biodiversité is surrounded by plots that benefit from the experimental regenerative viticulture
program started in 2021 by Maison Perrier-Jouët and which now extends to 28 hectares – over 40% of its
vineyard today with an objective of 100% by 2030. This holistic approach takes into account the ecosystem of the vineyard as a whole in order to improve its functionality and resilience: the soils, the local species and the human caretakers. Maison Perrier-Jouët is experimenting with four ways to enhance biodiversity: biomass plant covers, floral plant covers, vitiforestry and green corridors. The regenerative viticulture program is part of the initiatives started by Maison Perrier-Jouët a decade ago to adapt its vineyard practices with the goal of minimizing strain on the environment and enriching biodiversity.

Maison Perrier-Jouët inaugurated Cohabitare and the Banquet of Nature by Formafantasma on September 12th, in an exclusive preview held in the midst of the wine harvest. Curated by Formafantasma, this new experience gathered experts and invited guests to discuss biodiversity and interconnectedness, with the design curator Libby Sellers as the master of ceremonies. The lunch, orchestrated by Michelin star Chefs Pierre Gagnaire *** – the Ambassador and friend of the House – and Manon Fleury *, a deeply involved and daring Chef, welcomed three conversations between Libby Sellers and Perrier-Jouët Cellar Master Séverine Frerson, Formafantasma, and the eco-acoustic composer David Monacchi.

David Monacchi revealed the concept and the eco-acoustic composition he designed for Maison Perrier-Jouët: Oecanthus, a soundscape journey celebrating today’s biodiversity in Perrier-Jouët’s regenerative viticulture plots. The composition was created from onsite recordings carried out over summer 2024 in Perrier-Jouët vineyards. Oecanthus pellucens is a locust which makes a melodious sound gesture through the movement of his extremely light and fragile wings acting as amplification membranes: an acoustic
miracle of stridulation. This insect is represented on the two sound sculptures designed by Formafantasma which bring to life two Oecanthus pellucens singing in a major second interval, as it may happen in nature when two males sing different tones from different territories, in order to mark their territory or to attract females.

The composition is structured in five interconnected sections, and is also a journey from daytime
to nighttime: beginning with insects of Tettigoniidae and Gryllidae families in direct sunlight in daytime,
and finishing with the nocturnal Oecanthus pellucens.

Oecanthus by David Monacchi illustrates the importance of the species interconnections for restoring
the integrity of biodiversity. The eco-acoustic composer will continue his work for the next three years
in order to highlight the evolution of the biodiversity in the Ilot de Biodiversité and in the regenerative
viticulture plots.

The two sound sculptures designed by Formafantasma and the composition created by David Monacchi
will be shared during the major international art fairs, with the Banquet of Nature by Perrier-Jouët:
in Tokyo, Miami, Hong Kong and Milan.

Cohabitare is designed to evolve over the long term, gathering a broad spectrum of people from across
the world: a hub for exchanges with designers, researchers and thinkers, students, regional stakeholders
(institutional, cultural and associational), and – of course – the general public.
This ambitious project is the result of a process of reflection and creation that will be completed in 2025.

In keeping with the theme of Cohabitare, Formafantasma has also created two limited editions for two
cuvées of the House: one for Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque 2016 and the other for Perrier-Jouët Blanc de
Blancs. The designers have reinterpreted the interdependent relationships between species, illustrated
by a composition with some of the flora and fauna identified in the Perrier-Jouët vineyard.

About Formafantasma

Founded by Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin in 2009, Formafantasma is a research-based design
studio investigating the ecological, historical, political and social forces shaping the discipline of design
today. Championing the need for value-based advocacy and comprehensive design thinking, the aim of the designers’ practice is to facilitate a deeper understanding of both our natural and built environments, with transformative interventions through design and its material, technical, social, and discursive possibilities.
Based in Milan and Rotterdam, the studio has earned many of design’s most prestigious awards,
as well as partnerships with international brands such as Flos, Cassina, Fendi, Tacchini, Vitra Design,
Prada, and Artek, among others. Their designs are present in the collections of institutions including New
York’s MoMA and Metropolitan Museum, London’s Victoria and Albert, Paris’s Musée National d’Art
Moderne, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, and Centre Pompidou, Rome’s Museo Maxxi, and the Vitra Design
Museum, among many others. In 2020 Serpentine Galleries dedicated a solo exhibition to Formafantasma.

About Maison Perrier-Jouët

For more than two centuries, Maison Perrier-Jouët has been renowned for the elegance of its champagnes, ever since its founding in 1811 by Pierre-Nicolas Perrier and Rose-Adélaïde Jouët, a free-spirited couple united by their love of art and nature. From the start, they chose the Chardonnay grape variety as the signature of the House, defining the floral style which sets Perrier-Jouët champagnes apart. The House remains guided by its origins — inspired by nature and maintaining a close relationship to the lands of the Champagne region, with an affinity for creativity and the arts epitomized in the Art Nouveau period that carries on today.

About regenerative agriculture

Regenerative agriculture is a holistic approach to benefit the climate, ecosystems, and biodiversity, as well
as the wellbeing of communities. The use of agro-ecological practices aims to improve soil health and
fertility, as well as water retention capacity and water stress resistance, while restoring the ecosystems
of the fields and forests. In the long term, this model also aims to reduce GHG emissions and increase
carbon storage and biodiversity. Regenerative agriculture is people-centric, ensuring the health and vitality of farming communities, as well as their long-term economic viability. As a result, it improves the overall resilience of the terroir, for more secure yields and improved grape quality.