[Title] souffle
[Artist] Tokujin Yoshioka
[Date] May 20 – July 20, 2004
One of the representative products of Hermès is the scarf. This window shows the scarf in a simple, yet poetic way. In a monitor buried in the clear white wall, there is a close-up image of a woman’s face as she blows onto something. This movement is simultaneous with the motion of the scarf in front of the monitor, swaying gently as if blown by someone. What moves the scarf is actually an air compressor hidden behind the back panel. You can feel the magical fantasy in the synchronized movement of the visual image and scarf.
The designer who expressed this natural movement of humans in concordance with technology is Tokujin Yoshioka. Yoshioka had already suggested this idea of mixing visual image and movement when he worked on Hermès’ window display in 2002, and after more than two years, it is here finally realized.
Yoshioka simply and boldly expressed the theme of “Colours and Fantasy” by showing the scarf as it is (in its square shape), and giving life to it with a machine. With regards to the richness of color, our scarves have no comparison with other products. The scarves changed every week, and from the beginning of July, we introduced our new products from the 2004 Fall/Winter collection.
Although it seems to be a repetition of a simple movement, careful observation shows that the scarves in the two windows (left and right) move sometimes simultaneously, sometimes discordantly. This window allows us to enjoy ambiguous rhythm and change of expression. The elegantly blown scarves appear refreshing to the eye, and fills the air with a mysterious sense that amidst the busy metropolis, time flows slowly here.
Tokujin Yoshioka
Born in 1976. Graduated from Kuwasawa Design School in 1986. Having learned design from Shirō Kuramata and Issei Miyake, Yoshioka began working as a freelance designer from 1992. He founded the Tokujin Yoshioka Design in 2000. His experimental design has earned him a high reputation internationally.