United Visual Artists play with the tools of perception in their new installation, Harmonics. For this collaboration with Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilege, the pioneering London-based collective composed a dynamic work inspired by Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilege, recast as “Harmonics” in the time-space continuum.
In Harmonics, UVA suspends audiences between the tactile and the intangible. The kinetic light and sound installation integrates the past and present to create a piece inspired by the Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège creation process.
Upon their first visit to the Maison Hennessy in Cognac, British artist Matthew Clark, UVA’s founder, and his associate, Maximo Recio, were struck by the synergies between their artistic process and the Hennessy Master Blender’s craft. As Hennessy Master Blender Renaud Fillioux de Gironde explained the art of Cognac making, the UVA team realized that their explorations of time connect with the craftsmanship of Hennessy’s art.
“As an art practice, we are often inspired with concepts grounded in science”, explains Matthew Clark. “We’re always looking at how the physical world shapes perception, from cognition to the laws of physics. Our work is process driven and combines many different disciplines. As it turns out, there are many synergieshttp://spiritedzine.com/tag/cognac/ with cognac-making.”
Inspired by the blending process of Hennessy V.S.O.P, UVA reflected on the concept of “time blending” as a form of creation and a metaphor for the combination of different eaux-de-vie, each one belonging to a specific time in history. These time capsules are not unlike the many lights that reach us from distant stars, each one existing in a completely different time and space, yet we perceive them blended as one.
With this in mind, UVA created an artwork that explores the concept of time blending through the perception of light and sound unfolding at great speed. Unable to process extremely fast information, our brains perceive these sequential sensory inputs as a single event in time. Masterfully combined, shifting beams of light blend as volumes of colour, while multiple discrete sounds are perceived as a major chord. A state of continual flux appears as a harmonious, masterful whole – a reference to the blending process of V.S.O.P Privilège.
A symphony of light, sound and bespoke innovation, “Harmonics” expresses a sens of wonder, transporting Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège from its usual material setting – in a glass, on a table, or on a shelf – into a completely new dimension. A composition of light arcs combines to create sculptural forms, constantly drifting in and out of harmony. The analogy is unmistakable: made visible, Time works its elemental magic for Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège.
Celebrating the limits of perception as a form of time blending, “Harmonics” designed to expose the relativity of our experiences.
On the shelf, the V.S.O.P Privilège carafe and packaging captures the dynamic feel of “Harmonics” with materials that manipulate light and the perception of the viewer, incorporating the dynamics of the immateriality, light and time.
The Maison Hennessy, and Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège in particular, has long honored a tradition of supporting avant-garde design by internationally recognized visionaries. This mesmerizing conceptual display is the latest in a series of groundbreaking projects that probe beyond surface appearances.
Previous Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège collaborations celebrating the future of mastery have included a digital and musical celebration of mastery led by John Maeda with Kaki King and Giorgia Lupi (2017); an artwork based on color theory by the Milan-based artist du Carnovsky (2016); and an interpretation of the genome and chromatology by the acclaimed British graphic artist Peter Saville (2015).
Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège in collaboration with UVA will be available for purchase at select retailers.