Moving Silk

Hermès brings its globally touring 8 Ties show to Mumbai,after touring 10 international cities. Acclaimed digital artist Miguel Chevalier talks of adding playfulness to the Hermès universe with his installations.

There are far more interesting and stimulating ways in which fashion can meet technology,besides taking the obvious route of the social media. Hermès,the storied French luxury house,famous for its equestrian styles,expensive leathers and collectable silk ties,has found one. It has commissioned famed French artist Miguel Chevalier,a pioneer in digital art,to take its tie designs and re-imagine them as virtual installations. Hermès has presented the inventive show,8 Ties,in 10 international cities before bringing it to its Mumbai stores art gallery from December 6-8. Excerpts from an interview with Chevalier:

The Hermès tie is probably their biggest strength: its a favourite with older and younger men,and even with men who claim to have no interest in fashion. What does it mean to you?

As with everything that Hermès produces,the silk tie for me embodies know-how,refinement and elegance. The house has always linked tradition and innovation. I share the same values,in the sense that I develop creations from new technologies,but they also fit in with the continuity of art history. This is my first fashion collaboration and it has been a beautiful and rich experience for me.

Many heritage fashion labels are trying to be relevant to the youth by upping their technological profile. Although Hermès does have a great love for promoting art,it also seems to be an attempt to attract a younger clientele.

This new collection is all about renewing its traditional image in the tie universe,with this culture of the omnipresent digital experience. Hermès tie patterns are set in motion. They come to life,merge,grow in size,and lead to surprising new patterns. It is interesting to see that while on one side,we have a pattern that is printed on wearable silk,and on the other,its a virtual avatar presented in an ephemeral and spectacular installation.

The interactivity gives the installation an added dimension and a playful aspect that is perhaps unexpected in the Hermès universe. The customers are receptive,enthusiastic and also surprised by the open-mindedness of Hermès towards the digital world.

Digital art is a relatively new idea in installation art. How and when did you find out that this was going to be your speciality?

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When I started at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris in 1978,my father drew my attention to the fact that at any given moment in time,artists have always used whatever means are available to them. At the start of the 1980s,information technology was becoming more and more a part of the media,and people started talking about the information society. It was this unexplored land,untouched by contemporary artistic creation,that I wanted to delve into,and do my own take on. What attracts me are the limitless possibilities and the ever-changing nature of new technology.

What was the brief given to you by Hermès and how did you decide to explore it?

I met Victor Borges,silk commercial director,at an event hosted by Hermès. I spoke to him about my artistic work in which I have used digital tools as a medium since the start of the 80s. He immediately made a link with the tie collection that he was in the process of developing with Christophe Goineau. The brief Hermès gave me involved creating a selection of eight tie designs that were emblematic of the digital world USB,keyboard,Binary,ON/OFF etc.

I was given carte blanche to work on the animations. I chose the size,the movement and rhythm of the designs,and the interaction they would have with the public. Similarly,the composer Jacopo Baboni Schilingi was given this freedom for his musical compositions specific to each design.

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Paris,New York and Tokyo are far more open and progressive to newer art and art forms. What are your ideas and expectations from India?

The big cities in India are very dynamic. Nowadays,India has immense capacity in terms of its IT services. It has the third highest number of internet users in the world after China and the US. When developing software for the industry,India has yet to consider the IT tool as an artistic medium for developing original works of art,but I dont think it will take long. n