November2020

mischer’traxler launches Curiosity Cloud installation for Maison Perrier-Jouët in Miami

A sensory experience illuminating the relationship between man and nature at Design Miami/ 2020

27th November 2020: For Design Miami/ 2020, Maison Perrier-Jouët is renewing its collaboration with the Austrian design practice mischer’traxler studio, founded by Katharina Mischer and Thomas Traxler. The Curiosity Cloud chandelier, the work presented this year, is a reflection on the relationship between man and nature, enriched with considerations of the impact of human activity and the importance of biodiversity – a mindful approach the designers share with Maison Perrier-Jouët, which has a 200-year heritage of evolving in symbiosis with nature. Curiosity Cloud represents the latest stage in a long-standing creative partnership between the Champagne House and mischer’traxler studio, which will continue at Design Miami/ 2021, when the designers will present a new commission for Maison Perrier-Jouët.

The Curiosity Cloud chandelier is composed of 22 mouth-blown glass bulbs of three different sizes, specially created by the renowned Viennese glassware company Lobmeyr. Each contains a delicate, hand-crafted replica of an insect common in the United States, speaking to the America(s) theme of Design Miami/ 2020. However, among the native insects are also a number of invasive species, illustrating changes to nature and biodiversity that have been brought about by human activities such as global travel and transportation.

From a distance, the insects within the chandelier are quiet and still. Just one or two seem to come to life, their vessels emitting a soft, glowing light. As the intrigued spectator is drawn towards them, more insects start to move, swirling around inside their glass bulbs, their fluttering wings creating a subtle soundscape. As in a cabinet of curiosities, this sensory installation presents the beauty and diversity of nature, yet also highlights its fragility and vulnerability, prompting reflections that have immediate relevance today. The use of technology allows the interactive installation to draw the viewer in, triggering surprise, intrigue and discussion.

For mischer’traxler, as for Maison Perrier-Jouët, nature is a primary source of inspiration. The design duo are particularly fascinated by the fact that each element in nature, however small or apparently insignificant, has a reason and a purpose. Their work illuminates the complex mutual interdependencies of the ecosystem that are not always visible to the naked eye – a precious yet fragile balance that Maison Perrier-Jouët is committed to preserving on its own terroir. The Champagne House has mapped out an ecologically responsible future for its vines and its wines, including an ambitious programme to promote sustainable viticulture and reduce its environmental impact.

“The collaboration with Maison Perrier-Jouët feels like a great match. Many of our projects try to raise appreciation and awareness of a well-balanced ecosystem. This fits in well with the House's historically linked vision of beauty and nature, and its respect for its natural product. With Perrier-Jouët, we feel the freedom to communicate stories of nature with our language and our focus, as we share similar values,” explain Katharina Mischer and Thomas Traxler.

The Curiosity Cloud chandelier also draws inspiration from the Art Nouveau movement, with which Maison Perrier-Jouët is historically associated. The designers’ focus on insects, revealing sometimes unexpected beauty, nods to their emergence as a key motif in Art Nouveau. In particular, the designers were struck by the dragonfly table by Emile Gallé, which was on display when they visited the Perrier-Jouët Maison Belle Epoque headquarters in Epernay.

“We are absolutely delighted to renew our collaboration with mischer’traxler, whose work is both beautiful and thought-provoking. With its reinvention of nature and combination of traditional craft and modern technology, Curiosity Cloud clearly echoes the ethos of the Art Nouveau movement, which profoundly influenced the cultural heritage of Maison Perrier-Jouët,” comments Axelle de Buffévent, Style Director of Maison Perrier-Jouët.

Since 2012, Maison Perrier-Jouët has collaborated with Design Miami/ in order to offer contemporary artists and designers an international platform for their creativity, commissioning both emerging and established talents to reinterpret its enduring relationship with art and nature – and in particular its Art Nouveau heritage – through the prism of the 21st century. With this new phase in their collaboration, mischer’traxler and Maison Perrier-Jouët have created a moment of re-enchantment that opens up the possibility of a truly meaningful and transformative experience.

Curiosity Cloud will be unveiled at Design Miami/ from 27th November to 6th December 2020 at The Moore Building.

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 eight 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, 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, Luftwerk, Bethan Laura Wood or Andrea Mancuso.

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