Maison Perrier-Jouët Presents Garance Vallée’s 'Planted Air' at Miami Design Week 2022
Perrier-Jouët embraced art's connection to nature with some help from artist Garance Vallée.
Champagne is a delicate brew. Instructed by nature and fueled by man, the creation of champagne is as much of an art as a science. To honor that, Maison Perrier-Jouët commissioned French artist Garance Vallée to design the immersive installation Planted Air at Design Miami/ during Miami Design Week and Art Basel Miami Beach.
Before beginning her work, Vallée visited the Maison in Champagne for inspiration. “My tour of the Perrier-Jouët cellars with Cellar Master Séverine Frerson made me [realize] the long timescale of champagne. It is the time of nature, of savoir-faire. When we did a tasting together, she used words to describe champagne that were close to the world I work in. That fired my imagination and creativity."
The exhibit, which reimagines the natural ecosystem of Perrier-Jouët's vineyard in Champagne, is equal parts an homage to the Maison and a show of gratitude to Mother Nature. Vallée explained how each piece of installation highlights a piece of Perrier-Jouët, right down to the stones—literally.
"Planted Air is my reinterpretation of the vineyard of Champagne," explained the artist. "There's a whole ecosystem in there. It's a path through the vines and each vine is a sculpture that is rooted in the [region] of Champagne. The bases are literally real limestone from there. It's the same stone as the ceiling of Maison Perrier-Jouët. The structure is made by hand to represent all the savoir-faire and craftsmanship of the brand. You have this play on the scale because nature is bigger than you and you have the mirror to reflect yourself in nature because man is in nature and nature is in man."
This is not the Maison's first dalliance into the art and design space. Over the past 11 years, Perrier-Jouët has been involved with Design Miami/, adding another layer to the heritage label's 211 years of history. Speaking to Axelle De Buffevent, Creative Director of Perrier-Jouët, the brand's connection to art, specifically French art movements, is one that comes naturally.
"We take the four pillars of the Art Nouveau philosophy which are: adding beauty to everyday life—and for champagne it's easy; inspired by nature—we come from nature; studio-made, it has to be handmade—that was the answer of Art Nouveau to industrialization; and to [work] in between disciplines," explained De Buffevent.
Alongside the installation, Perrier-Jouët launched a limited-edition bottle of Perrier-Jouët Blanc de Blanc created by Vallée. Harnessing the same inspiration that drove her sculptural work, the exclusive box features semi-identifiable lifeforms in a symbiotic harmony, reflecting beauty in nature's biodiversity.
In celebration of Vallée's collaboration with the Maison, Perrier-Jouët also hosted a luncheon at Casa Tua where friends of the Maison like Karlie Kloss attended to toast the successful partnership.
