Perrier-Jouët Joins Forces with Designer Fernando Laposse for a New Art Installation at Design Miami
Perrier-Jouët is known for its legendary Champagne, housed in an instantly recognizable Art Nouveau–style bottle. But from its beginnings more than 200 years ago, the Maison has emphasized stewardship and love of nature, as well as its support for art of all stripes from around the globe. Those two passions have come together in Perrier-Jouët’s creative partnership with Mexican artist Fernando Laposse. His new installation, The Pollination Dance, will be unveiled December 6 at Design Miami/, which Perrier-Jouët has worked with since 2012. More than six months in the making, the installation represents Laposse and the Maison’s shared interest in understanding the global ecosystem and preserving the delicate balance between species. In advance of the exhibit, Perrier-Jouët is releasing a pair of limited-edition bottles designed by Laposse.
The Pollination Dance recalls a fantastical garden in which all life forms—some real, some imagined—interact. Surrounded by sheer silk-organza drapes onto which are sewn hundreds of silken insects, the installation contains a series of hourglasses, which are periodically refilled, not by machinery but by people. The sand in the hourglasses, representing pollen, empties onto branches containing both Perrier-Jouët’s signature anemones and original, imaginary flowers created by Laposse, as well as pollinating birds and insects ranging from hummingbirds and butterflies to moths and beetles. Benches in the installation encourage contemplation of the nature of time and the symbiotic nature of myriad life forms.
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The piece’s combination of classic and modern approaches echoes the ethos of the Maison. Axelle de Buffévent, Perrier-Jouët’s culture and creative director, says, “Fernando Laposse has revisited the Art Nouveau heritage of Maison Perrier-Jouët with remarkable depth. Freely inspired by nature, he combines savoir-faire derived from traditional cultures with cutting-edge contemporary techniques. His work speaks to us through its beauty and poetry, at the same time as it reveals a deeper meaning.”
Fernando Laposse: Turning Activism Into Art, and Vice Versa
Based in London and originally trained as a product designer, the Mexican-born Laposse has had his work featured in venues around the globe, including Triennale di Milano, the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and Art Basel Miami Beach. His work tackles critical issues facing the world, from the environmental crisis to migration to the slow disappearance of biodiversity and local culinary cultures. The Pollination Dance focuses on the role of the flower in the larger ecosystem, interacting with animals and insects to maintain the balance of life—in this case, through pollination. “The Pollination Dance is the perfect embodiment of what I think design should be about: offering real-world solutions with a joyful and poetic dimension,” Laposse says. “I am convinced that solutions for local problems can be applied to global situations.”
Laposse employs natural materials in his artwork, including often-overlooked plant fibers like loofah and corn leaves. But he doesn’t limit his ecological views to his artwork. He works with indigenous communities in his native Mexico, helping create local employment opportunities, raising awareness of the challenges wrought by globalization, and working on solutions to specific problems. For example, he’s worked with native farmers in southeastern Mexico to develop new systems of production designed to benefit both the community and the environment.
Perrier-Jouët’s Long History of Artistic Sponsorship and Environmental Stewardship
The founders of Perrier-Jouët, Pierre-Nicolas Perrier and Rose-Adélaïde Jouët, were as fervent in their love of nature and art as they were in their passion for creating Champagne, and they understood how these disparate worlds overlapped. Successive generations at the Maison, most notably Henri and Octave Gallice, nurtured these parallel interests; it was on their watch that artist and botanist Émile Gallé created the now-iconic Art Nouveau bottle for which Perrier-Jouët is known. The twin pursuits of great Champagne and great art saw a new chapter beginning in 2012, when the brand started sponsoring both emerging and established artists at Design Miami/. The one thing all the artists have in common is that they share Perrier-Jouët’s vision of nature and a desire to reimagine the Maison’s Art Nouveau heritage for the 21st century.
The Maison is proactive in its commitment to sustainability. Cellar Master Séverine Frerson notes, “Maison Perrier-Jouët is determined to sustain its efforts to minimize pressure on the environment. Above all, it is striving to help enrich the biodiversity of the Champagne terroir to which it has been profoundly attached for more than two centuries.” The Maison is currently experimenting with multiple methods of enhancing biodiversity. Additionally, it aims to have 100 percent of its own vineyard in regenerative viticulture and 100 percent of its partner winegrowers committed to sustainable viticulture by 2030.
Limited Edition Bottles . . . and More
Laposse has created artwork for two Perrier-Jouët Champagnes, which echo the themes of The Pollination Dance. Perrier-Jouët Blanc de Blancs is represented by a cloud of yellow pollen evoking the wine’s vibrant personality, while the pale golden hue of Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque 2014 is captured with a delicate trail of golden pollen. The latter bottle is accompanied by a pair of glasses designed in collaboration with Laposse. For collectors of both art and Champagne, Laposse has created a mouth-blown glass dome containing a microcosm of The Pollination Dance entitled “The Fleeting Dance,” paired in a bespoke cabinet with a jeroboam of Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque 2008. Only 15 units have been made; like the larger installation, it will have its debut at Design Miami/.
For a more accessible connection to the Laposse/Perrier-Jouët collaboration, the Maison will be releasing a book of art and poetry, called A Song of Flowers, in conjunction with JBE Books as part of Maison Perrier-Jouët’s Enchanting Library. Laposse’s artwork is accompanied by poems composed by Mardonio Carballo, one of Mexico’s leading indigenous poets. The poems are inspired by, and connected to, the Pollination Dance exhibit, and segments of many of the poems can be read at the installation.
To learn more about Design Miami 2023, and to buy tickets for the festival, visit designmiami.com/fair/miami-2023. For a deeper dive into the story of Perrier-Jouët and an overview of its Champagnes, visit perrier-jouet.com.
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