Hennessy 250 Tour
Paying tribute to its past, present and future Hennessy celebrates a 250-year adventure with a travelling exhibition titled the Hennessy 250 Tour.
The exhibition follows the traces of the Grand Tours made throughout history by the Hennessy family, which spans seven generations and five continents.
Combining heritage with contemporary creation, the tour forms a multidisciplinary event in which the story of Hennessy’s heritage is recounted in carte blanche creations and performances by a selection of internationally known contemporary artists.
Curated by Hervé Mikaeloff, scenographer Nathalie Crinière and Hennessy heritage expert Raphaël Gérard, the exhibition shows elements of Hennessy’s legacy including expertise and iconic objects as interpreted through contemporary artists. While shining light on the past, the Hennessy 250 Tour also presents a forward-looking view, promising a future no less adventurous than the past.
The Hennessy 250 Tour combines the concept of a grand travelling exhibition with that of a cultural festival as it highlights the local bonds forged across the world. These bonds help define Hennessy’s identity.
Six chapters created by contemporary artists across a range of disciplines form the exhibition that tells the Hennessy story.
Chapter one, A Tale of Two Families, is presented through an installation by visual artist Charles Sandison. Inspired by the founding documents, texts and letters from the Hennessy family and their Master Blenders the Fillioux, the installation creates an illusion of an endless tunnel in which visitors feel suspended thanks to an interplay of mirrors.
The second chapter, From Land to Savoir-Faire, is created by visual and video artist Pierrick Sorin. It introduces Hennessy’s process of creation and constant innovation through an optical theatre in which Sorin play’s three characters.
Inspired Encounters, chapter three, tells the story of Hennessy’s lifelong relations to artists from its earliest members. The long list of collaborations shows a passionate interest and desire to translate the brands’ timelessness into exceptional objects. In current times these are represented by great designers, artists of pop culture, hip-hop, and street art. Some of the most iconic creations are presented in the Inspired Encounters exhibition including designs on Very Special Hennessy Limited Editions, by iconic street artists Futura, Os Gêmeos, and Shepard Fairey.
Chapter four, The Secret of Legacy, is shaped by a multimedia installation created by American multimedia and installation artist Tony Oursler. It gives a glimpse of the arcane rituals of the Hennessy Comité de Dégustation. Oursler’s installation weaves poetry and sound across languages, nationalities and cultures creating a strange and surreal dialogue. Characters of central figures are interlinked by a continuous flow of fluid in a metaphor of the uninterrupted chain of legacy.
Chapter five, An Essential Cast, is made up of portraits by rock photographer and Hollywood director Anton Corbijn. The portrait gallery captures the energy and personality of Hennessy and its partners from wine-growers to international agents.
Chapter six, Here to There, features a panoramic stage by French designer Constance Guisset. It recounts Hennessy’s journey across five continents through an interactive and modular stage with movable partitions. When closed these partitions form a screen for 3-minute films. When open they reveal a stage on which local artists perform in different productions including readings, choreography, and performances that change from country to country.
As a conclusion to the adventurous exhibition through the world of Hennessy, an epilogue by French visual artist Xavier Veilhan is presented. He chose to portray Hennessy’s 250 years in an emblematic, totemic manner that reflects past, present and future at the same time.
The tour, which started in Guangzhou, China in March, will visit five locations across the world until September 2015. Monday 25 May 2015 marks the opening in Moscow, Russia.
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