The secret garden above Hermès’ Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré store in Paris proved an early inspiration for Jonathan Baldock for his transformation of the windows of the French maison’s New Bond Street store. The British artist, whose works appeared earlier this year in a solo show at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, displays a deep-rooted affinity with the natural world and the rhythm of the seasons, embodied by his bold use of colour and sacred geometry. His work is saturated with humour and wit, and his pieces, often in ceramic or textile, have an uncanny, allegorical quality that channel his interest in myth and folklore.
For the five windows that wrap around Hermès’ London flagship, Baldock has imagined a Parisian autumnal scene, creating a series of brightly-coloured hedges dotted with peepholes that offer a portal into a fantastical world of imagination. A recurring motif in the artist’s work, the peepholes turn the windows into an interactive experience, a game of hide and seek in which the passerby can participate. Baldock often takes a theatrical approach to his practice, presenting hidden detailed worlds to those who care to look closely, and in these windows, he presents a light-hearted blurring of the lines between public and private, outside and inside, real and imaginary. Look between the branches to find a whimsical cast of characters, each busy in different scenarios, with pieces from Hermès’ A/W24 collections taking on a playful role.
The installation, entitled ‘Take a Peek’, was created using hundreds of individual leaves to reflect the shifting shades of autumn. Made entirely of leather, the leaves were carefully cut from unused materials sourced from Hermès’ sustainable development department, and will go on to have a new life after the installation is removed.
'Take a Peek’, by Jonathan Baldock, will be on display until 1 November at Hermès, 155 New Bond Street, London W1, hermes.com, jonathan-baldock.com
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