[Title] washing Hermes
[Artist] Mathieu Mercier
[Date] March 29 – May 15, 2007
“Come join the circle of dance” – this year’s Hermès theme – is being expressed in a rather unique and fascinating format. It is not people who are dancing, but rather scarves! And what’s more, the scarves are dancing in a washing machine.
By its very nature, the scarf is a light and supple item, and a product symbolic of the very essence of Hermès. The scarf also lends itself wholly to conveying the sense of “movement.” As we begin to gaze at the scarves, which never put on the same expression twice as they circulate around a jumbo-size washing machine, we are easily enticed into a hypnotic state, completely forgetting the passage of time.
As the dance is savored, viewers are entranced by the decidedly unstructured “movement,” and feel a sense of being drawn up onto the stage. This impression is transformed into a window decorated to rouse visions of the beauty of the sustained flow, and the sheer unpredictability of the movement itself.
In approaching this project, French artist Mathieu Mercier reports that he was keenly aware of the appearance of the Maison Hermès building, and the minimal and spotlessly clean image that it so precisely projects. In the background, meanwhile, a clear contrast is cast between the square shaped towel inner wall, which seems only too likely to include laundry space, and the glass blocks of the Hermès outer wall. The result is the manifestation of a concept, reflective of the artist’s work over the years, in which elements found on the inside are located outside. This image liberates us from the conventions and rules that we have known for so long.
The window, including the products within, stresses the beauty of “white.” With this, it should be possible to rediscover the simple splendor of Hermès creations.
In its sustained churning, the washing machine may very well appear to signify the clamor of the city. The hectic traffic, the never-ending work demands, the rugged morning commute and more. At the moment people pause to peer into the window, the tumultuous scene of Tokyo deftly slips from their minds.
Mathieu MERCIER
Born in France in 1970, and staying at Villa Kujoyama (Kyoto) through this May. His works are shown in galleries in six major world cities, including Paris and New York. While Mercier is primarily a formative artist who works with plastics, he also excels as a curator of exhibitions, galleries and in other capacities.