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Exhibition
La naissance
d’un ordre
caché
09.04 >
21.09.2015
Press kit
EXHIBITION
CRISTALLISATIONS
IN SAINT-LOUIS
Cristallisations
La naissance d’un ordre caché
Crystallisations
Genesis of a hidden order
From 9 April to 21 September 2015
Cristallisations is the second of a new series of shows
at La Grande Place, musée du cristal Saint-Louis in
Saint-Louis-les-Bitche, organised by the Fondation
d’entreprise Hermès, echoing the contemporary art
programmes at its four exhibition spaces worldwide (in
Brussels, Singapore, Seoul and Tokyo).
La Grande Place,
musée du cristal Saint-Louis
Saint-Louis-lès-Bitche
Curators:
Hélène Guenin,
Chief curator,
Alexandra Müller,
Research Officer,
Centre Pompidou-Metz.
Each year, the Foundation will present two exhibitions
at the musée du cristal Saint-Louis, focusing chiefly on
contemporary art. The themed and group exhibitions
will explore the medium of glass and the expert artisan
skills involved in crystal-making. Each season composed
of three consecutive exhibitions will be curated by
a cultural institution in the Lorraine region, at the
invitation of the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès.
In 2014 and 2015, the guest institution is the
Centre Pompidou-Metz.
In partnership with
François Génot, Frost (colored) n°1, 2013
Frozen ink on paper, 40 x 30 cm
© François Génot Courtesy of the artist
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Cristallisations – La naissance d’un ordre caché
Cristallisations –
La naissance d’un ordre caché
Crystallisations –
Genesis of a hidden order
What does one give a Neo-Stoic who loves Nothing but
has everything? Something infinitely insignificant, impalpable,
ephemeral… In 1611 the astronomer Johannes Kepler devised
the perfect New Year’s gift for his wealthy patron Johann
Matthäus Wacker von Wackenfels: the description of a snowflake.
Kepler’s text The New Year’s Gift or The Six-Cornered Snowflake
was the first scientific treatise to study the harmonious,
geometric form of ice crystals.
Kepler defines it as a ‘cosmo-poetic’ form, at the very origins
of the structured world: ‘From this next-to-Nothing, this
minuscule atom of snow, I came close to recreating the entire
Universe, which contains everything!’
Falling to Earth through the clouds, water vapour condenses
on the points of the hexagonal prism of ice, so that it augments
and expands, subject to infinite variations in the atmospheric
conditions. The same basic motif is shaped by its unique journey
into an immediately recognisable yet unrepeatable form.
With its shafts and branching forms, its flat circle reminiscent
of a flower or a six- or twelve-pointed star, each snowflake is
unique, though each begins life as an unchanging, identical,
minuscule hexagonal matrix. How can we explain the
phenomenon of spontaneous, symmetrical self-organisation
that produces crystalline networks of matchless order from the
chaos of matter as gas? For Kepler, the study is the starting-point
for a poetic, mystical reflection on the hidden laws working to
instigate beauty and harmony in Nature. The hexagon is one
of the elementary figures in the structure of matter, the shape
that permits the tightest, most compact assemblage of disparate
elements in a single space.
‘
Ka […] read a number of books about snow,
and one of his discoveries was this: Once a sixpronged snowflake crystallises it takes between
eight and ten minutes to fall through the sky,
lose its original shape and vanish. When, with
further enquiry, he discovered that the form of
each snowflake is governed by the temperature,
the direction and strength of the wind, the
altitude of the cloud, and any number of other
mysterious forces, Ka decided that snowflakes
have much in common with people.
Inspired by Kepler’s cosmo-poetic research into the geometric
splendours of ice crystals, the exhibition Cristallisations – La
naissance d’un ordre caché (‘Crystallisations – Genesis of a
hidden order’) presents a collection of works, documents and
scientific films, each taking as its starting point the emergence
of structure from chaos and diffuse matter, oscillating between
chance and necessity.
Hélène Guenin, Chief curator, and Alexandra Müller, Research
Officer at the Centre Pompidou-Metz.
’
Orhan Pamuk, Snow, 2004 (english edition)
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Cristallisations – La naissance d’un ordre caché
WITH
Guillaume Barborini
Ernst Haeckel
Born in 1986, Chambéry, France.
Lives and works in Metz, France.
Artist.
Potsdam, Germany, 1834
– Iéna, Germany, 1919
Biologist.
Wilson Alwyn Bentley
Ilana Halperin
Jericho,Vermont, USA, 1865
– Jericho,Vermont, USA, 1931
Photographer.
Born in 1973, New York, USA.
Lives and works in Glasgow, Scotland.
Robert Hooke
Benoît Billotte
Freshwater, Isle of Wight, UK, 1635
– London, UK, 1703
Astronomer, mathematician.
Born in 1983, Metz, France.
Lives and works in Geneva, Switzerland.
Artist.
Jérôme Knebusch
Soyoung Chung
Born in 1979, Suresnes, France.
Lives and works in Seoul, South Corea.
Artist.
Born in 1978, Heidelberg, Germany.
Lives and works between Metz, France
and Frankfurt-On-Main, Germany.
Graphist and artist.
Dorothy Cross
Jan Cornelis Mol
Born in 1956, Cork, Ireland.
Lives and works in Connemara, Ireland.
Artist.
Venhuizen, Netherlands, 1891
– Heemstede, Netherlands, 1954
Film-maker.
Edith Dekyndt
Ukichiro Nakaya
Born in 1960,Ypres, Belgium.
Lives and works in Tournai, Belgium.
Artist.
Kaga, Japan, 1900
– Tokyo, Japan, 1962
Physicist.
François Génot
Jean Painlevé
Born in 1981, Strasbourg, France.
Lives and works in Diedendorf, France.
Artist.
Paris, France, 1902
– Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, 1989
Film-maker and biologist.
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Cristallisations – La naissance d’un ordre caché
INTERVIEW
WITH THE EXHIBITION CURATORS
Hélène Guenin,
Chief curator,
Alexandra Müller,
Research Officer,
Centre Pompidou-Metz.
Tell us how the exhibition
Cristallisations – La naissance d’un ordre
caché (‘Crystallisations - Genesis of a
hidden order’) came about?
We have brought together artists whose work explores the
idea of ‘hidden order’ – primordial form underpinning the
microcosm and macrocosm alike – and the concept of repetition,
sedimentation, and crystallisation in the physical or figurative
sense. Most of them also work with the notion of time: its
duration, and its existence as a parallel concept to the world of
Nature.We are featuring a number of works by Ilana Halperin,
for example, including objects whose final form is determined
by deposits of sediment or lime that slowly and gradually cover
their surface, echoing the formation of stalactites and stalagmites
in caves.The artist defines a form, then abandons it to the natural
processes of geology. Edith Dekyndt and François Génot
produce their works in conditions of extreme cold, in the open
air, capturing the bite of frost on paper through the instantaneous
freezing and crystallisation of ink. Jean Painlevé’s films of liquids
at the point of crystallisation are the result of a part-natural, partartistic process, a protocol open at the outset to the immergence
of contingent forms, the action of time, and external phenomena.
The exhibition is a product of its context: the workshops and
museum of the cristallerie Saint-Louis. This is the second show
in a season of three, leading on from the first exhibition by
Jean de Loisy, based on the concept of gestures linked to skilled
know-how and language, as a sister event to Formes simples at
the Centre Pompidou-Metz, which he curated.
For our part, we were interested in developing a speculative,
poetic proposition based on the notion of ‘crystal’ as produced
at Saint-Louis, and crystals in the scientific, physical sense.
We wanted to offer a sensitive exploration of the core concept
to which both uses of the term refer, with opportunities to
bring together visual artworks and scientific or academic
documents on the concept of crystallisation.
How will you present visual artworks
and scientific documents together
in the exhibition?
What is the ‘hidden order’
referred to in the
exhibition’s sub-title?
We began with a very beautiful text, presented as a New Year’s
gift from the German astronomer Johannes Kepler to his
wealthy patron, in 1611 – a scientific but also very poetic treatise
on snow crystals and their formation. Johannes Kepler describes
the fascinating geometry of crystals, and the sophisticated forms
generated (in the case of snow) from the starting-point of a
simple hexagon. Kepler imagined that the arrangements of these
elementary particles underpinned the structure of the entire
universe. His writing is suffused with the idea that we can ‘read’
the entire world in the structure of a single unit.
Most of Kepler’s ideas on the modelling of the universe
have been shown to be false, and the text is read today for its
delightful, poetic quality.
5
The exhibition takes Kepler’s approach, mixing the scientific
and poetic genres.The artistic adventure is fuelled by openness
to other fields of research and imaginative investigation.The
different registers have always co-habited. Ilana Halperin’s work,
for example, brings her into contact with numerous scientists,
geologists, and vulcanologists. Her knowledge of these fields
nourishes her artistic work. Jean Painlevé and Jan Cornelis Mol
are scientists inspired by their encounters with artists, and who
have inspired artists in turn, with their research and invented forms.
Ernst Haeckel, Robert Hooke and Johannes Kepler are
scientists who shared a passion for the perfect symmetry of certain
natural forms.They did not think of themselves as artists, but
positioned themselves as observers of the beauties of nature. Jean
Painlevé continues the great tradition of ‘universal’ scholars, with
an interest in very diverse areas of knowledge.
Cristallisations – La naissance d’un ordre caché
Why did you choose to bring together
internationally renowned artists and
young, emerging artists from the
Lorraine region?
The cristallerie Saint-Louis has deep local roots, like the
Centre Pompidou-Metz. For us, it was essential to take that
into account, to spotlight artists who live and work here and to
focus on the region’s art scene in the wider context of
contemporary art as a whole.
‘
I am well aware how fond you are of Nothing.
[…] I can easily tell that a gift will be the more
pleasing and welcome to you, the closer it comes
to Nothing. […] And since there are many such
things in the realm of Nature, a choice is to be
made among them. […]
While anxiously considering these matters,
I crossed over the bridge, mortified by my
incivility at having appeared before you without
a New Year’s gift […]
[…] Our question is why snowflakes when
they first fall, and before they are entangled
into larger clumps, always come down with six
corners, and with six radii tufted like feathers?
[…] There must be a particular cause, for if it
happened by chance, why would they always fall
with six corners?
Johannes Kepler, Strena seu de nive sexangula, [A New Year’s Gift,
or The Six-Sided Snowflake], 1611.
To Matthaüs Wacker von Wackenfels, knight and patron.
Just then, by a happy occurrence, some of the
vapour in the air was gathered into snow by the
force of the cold, and a few scattered flakes fell
on my coat, all six cornered, with tufted radii.
By Hercules!
Here was something smaller than a drop,
and yet endowed with a shape. Here indeed
was a most desirable New Year’s gift for the
lover of Nothing, and one worthy as well of a
mathematician (who has nothing and receives
nothing) since it descends from the sky and
bears a likeness to the stars.
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Cristallisations – La naissance d’un ordre caché
’
PRESS IMAGES
High-Res images available for download at
http://www.fondationdentreprisehermes.org/presse
Password available on request
Benoît Billotte
Crystal House in the Mountains
2011
Series of glass modules
5 to 30 x 6 cm
Produced in collaboration with Glass-Fabrik and the CIRVA
Collection Mudac, Lausanne, Switzerland
Courtesy of the artist
Edith Dekyndt
Cold Drawing 002
2012
Inkjet on rag paper (framed)
41 x 30 cm
Courtesy of the artist and Carl Freedman Gallery, London
Edith Dekyndt
Cold Drawing 018
2012
Inkjet on rag paper (framed)
41 x 30 cm
Courtesy of the artist and Carl Freedman Gallery, London
Soyoung Chung
Snowball
2006
Sugar crystals, mirror
45 x 45 x 45 cm
Produced in collaboration with La Galerie –
Centre d’art contemporain de Noisy-le-Sec
Courtesy of the artist
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Cristallisations – La naissance d’un ordre caché
François Génot
Frost (colored) n°1
2013
Frozen ink on paper
40 x 30 cm
© François Génot
Courtesy of the artist
François Génot
Frost (colored) n°2
2013
Frozen ink on paper
40 x 30 cm
© François Génot
Courtesy of the artist
Ilana Halperin
Physical Geology (Cave cast / Slow time)
2008-2009
Limestone sculpture formed over the course of nine months
in the Fontaines Pétrifiantes de Saint Nectaire
23 x 19 cm
Photo Ruth Clark
Courtesy of Patricia Fleming Projects
Ilana Halperin
We Form Geology
2012-2013
Sculpture. Wood with natural mineral deposit.
Formed in the Blue Lagoon, Iceland
44 x 62,5 cm
Photo Ruth Clark
Courtesy of Patricia Fleming Projects
Wilson Alwyn Bentley
Reproductions published in:
Wilson A. Bentley, William J. Humphreys
Snow Crystals
New York, McGraw-Hill, 1931
Courtesy of Jericho Historical Society
Wilson Alwyn Bentley
Reproductions published in:
Wilson A. Bentley, William J. Humphreys
Snow Crystals
New York, McGraw-Hill, 1931
Courtesy of Jericho Historical Society
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Cristallisations – La naissance d’un ordre caché
SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS FROM
THE FONDATION D’ENTREPRISE HERMÈS
(1st SEMESTER 2015):
Know-how and Creativity
Exhibition Monika Sosnowska
Le Forum, Tokyo, Japan
Until 31 March 2015
Exhibition Philaetchouri
Ann Veronica Janssens and Michel François
La Verrière, Brussels, Belgium
Until 30 April 2015
The Fondation d’entreprise Hermès supports
people and organisations seeking to learn, perfect,
transmit and celebrate the skills and creativity that
shape and inspire our lives today, and into the future.
Guided by our central focus on artisan expertise and
creative artistry in the context of society’s changing
needs, the Foundation’s activities explore two
complementary avenues: know-how and creativity,
know-how and the transmission of skills.
Exhibition Yunho Kim
L’atelier Hermès, Seoul, Korea
3 April – 31 May 2015
Exhibition Listening To The Lines
Le Forum, Tokyo, Japan
24 April – 5 July 2015
The Foundation supports partner organisations
across the globe. At the same time, we develop and
administer our own projects in the contemporary
visual arts (exhibitions and artists’ residencies), the
performing arts (the New Settings programme),
design (the Prix Émile Hermès international design
award), craftsmanship (the Skills Academy), and
biodiversity.
Exhibition Simple Forms:
Contemplating Beauty
Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
25 April – 5 July 2015
Exhibition Laura Lamiel
La Verrière, Brussels, Belgium
22 May – 25 July 2015
The Foundation’s unique mix of programmes and
support is rooted in a single, underlying belief:
Our gestures define us.
Support to the exhibition Kolkata/
Calcutta Patrick Faigenbaum
Lauréat du Prix HCB 2013
www.fondationdentreprisehermes.org
Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson, Paris, France
13 May – 26 July 2015
Know-how and
Transmission of skills
Skills Academy
Paris, France
January - June 2015
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Cristallisations – La naissance d’un ordre caché
LA GRANDE PLACE,
MUSÉE DU CRISTAL SAINT-LOUIS
CENTRE POMPIDOU-METZ
Centre Pompidou-Metz is the first offshoot of a
major French cultural institution, Centre Pompidou,
in partnership with regional authorities.
An independent body, Centre Pompidou-Metz
benefits from the experience, expertise and
international reputation of Centre Pompidou.
It shares with its older sibling values of
innovation and generosity, and the same
determination to engage a wide public through
multi-disciplinary programming.
Centre Pompidou-Metz produces temporary
exhibitions which draw on loans from the holdings
of Centre Pompidou, Musée National d'Art
Moderne. With more than 100,000 works, it is the
largest collection of modern and contemporary art
in Europe and the second largest in the world.
Centre Pompidou-Metz also develops partnerships
with museums around the world. A programme of
dance, music, films, lectures and children's workshops
further explore themes raised in the exhibitions.
Rue Coëtlosquet
57620 Saint-Louis-lès-Bitche
Exhibition open daily from April 9 to
September 21, 2015, except Tuesdays,
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Free admission with museum ticket.
Information: +33 3 87 06 40 04
Press contact
Cristallerie Saint-Louis:
Lorraine de Boisanger
+33 1 47 45 90 00 / [email protected]
LA FONDATION
D'ENTREPRISE HERMÈS
Press contact
Fondation d’entreprise Hermès:
Philippe Boulet
+ 33 6 82 28 00 47 / [email protected]
Press contact
Centre Pompidou-Metz:
International Press Director
Hermès International:
Noémie Gotti
+33 3 87 15 39 63 /
[email protected]
Ina Delcourt
Press contact:
Caroline Schwartz-Mailhé
+ 33 1 40 17 48 23 / [email protected]
13-15, rue de la Ville l’Évêque – 75008 Paris
www.fondationdentreprisehermes.org
www.centrepompidou-metz.fr
www.saint-louis.com/fr/musee-manufacture/grande-place
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Cristallisations – La naissance d’un ordre caché