[Title] Making Waves
[Artist] Isabelle Daëron
[Date] May 19 to July 12, 2016
Living in the city, there is a tendency to forget the reality of the everyday blessings forthcoming from nature. Resources both precious and finite in their essence, in fact, integrally support the fabric of our lives.
In “Making Waves,” the French artist Isabelle Daëron turns to the movement of water to address the Hermès 2016 theme of “La Nature au Galop (Nature at Full Gallop).” To articulate the dynamism of this motion, she harnesses the form of water drops to compose the entire landscape in these displays.
The large front window depicts various different sources of water in the natural world. Her images commence with the pelting down of rain on pavement, moving on to track the waters of mighty waves flowing into the sea, and the frozen descent of water onto in icicle-like structure. All of this flows into a single integrated storyline, with the Hermès products dotting the landscape likewise closely engaged in the movement.
Developed in the smaller window is her examination of the ties between objects and water. Portrayed here are silkworms feeding on mulberry leaves and the resulting silk, rock surfaces conjuring up images of silver mining realms and other sagas to convey the bonds between raw materials and water. Not halting there, the space also explores how water is used in the crafting of jewelry, the dyeing of leather and the washing of silk. This effectively ushers in images of the so-called “water footprint”* of water consumed in such production activities.
The phrase “Making Waves” also carries the nuance of prolonged confrontations raising doubts or questions along the way. Turning her attention to the dual aspects of the unbroken presence of water in the lap of nature on one hand, and the human society that makes use of that water on the other, the result is a roadmap for contemplating the realities of water and the world in which we make our lives.
*The water footprint measures the amount of water used to produce each of the goods and services we use.
Isabelle Daëron – Designer
Isabelle Daëron is a designer based in Paris. She designs objects, installations and spaces from a reflection on the living environment and natural elements that constitute it. For instance, her project Topiques or the utopian desire to inhabit flows gathers a series of objects questioning the use of natural flows and sustainable energies in public space. For this work, she received some prizes : Lille design Prize (2012), Grand Prix de la Création de la Ville de Paris (2013), Audi Talents Awards (2015). Her projects were displayed in CCA Kitakyushu, Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Matadero (Madrid), Complexe Suvilahti (Helsinki).