Attended by HH Sheikh Mansour Bin Mohammad Hermès ‘Wanderland’ debuts in Asia in Dubai during DSF 2016

• French luxury house’s unique exhibition invites all for a journey into a dramatic showcase at The Dubai Fountains
• Free entry for public who can experience fascinating event until 7 Feb

Hermès, the luxury French House, opened the doors of its exceptional Wanderland exhibition to the public from 22 January onwards showcasing the beauty of the brand’s collection throughout the centuries. HH Sheikh Mansour Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum graced the glamorous event, which made its debut in Asia in Dubai during the ongoing DSF 2016. HH Sheikh Mansour was received by H.E. Laila Mohd Suhail, CEO of Dubai Festivals & Retail Establishment (DFRE), Ibrahim Saleh, Festivals Coordinator General at DFRE, Wissam Al Mana, Managing Director of Hermès Middle East, and Henri-Louis Bauer, Chairman of the Board at Hermès.

HH Sheikh Mansour was taken on a tour across the various chambers of the exhibition that is built on an area of 1000 square metres of The Dubai Fountains, as part of the ongoing DSF 2016.

DSF organisers, the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM),  has worked in partnership with Hermès to bring this exhibition to life in this unique location in the vicinity of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, as part of the line-up of Apparel and Fashion themed events of the festival’s 21^st edition.

Dubai is the third city in the world to host Hermès‘Wanderland,’ after London and Paris.The exhibition, that has one part fashion installation and one part a show of artistic creativity, ends on 7 February 2016.

With entry to the exhibition being free of charge, the public can indulge in the art of Flânerie – the act of strolling around that evokes Hermès 2015  theme of the year. Visitors are in for a treat on the streets of Paris as ‘Wanderland’ brings out the most unexpected and the unpredictable of experiences to their senses. They essentially become the Flâneur, a person who strolls along and observes everything as the world goes by. When the Flâneur enters the Hermès ‘Wanderland,’ he can expect to be a changed person after the experiences, thanks to the stimulation of senses through the use of deeply meaningful lines of poetry marking the walls of every chamber, scintillating wall patterns and scenes that unfold every step of the way and amazing work by the Scenographer Hubert le Gall.

It’s a mix of travelling through time, being suspended in time as the Flâneur walks through the 10 chambers of tastefully decorated Parisian installations, where contemporary collections all come together.

The Flâneur can, thus, taste the feeling of being in France throughout the centuries, while still being at the Dubai Fountains, as if it’s a time capsule.  The effect is surreal, where imaginations are stirred on deeper levels as the writing is on the wall. It is the written word that initially beguiles the senses of the Flâneur as he steps into the time warp and the sensory appeal starts to merge that might be like a quick walk through the park for some and a long drawn, intense romantic prelude to an intense Parisian experience of living.

Chamber 1 - Flâner

The first chamber called Flâner (meaning ‘to stroll) is fitted with dazzling moving lights while the walls come alive with cinematography of various genres and the voices of different French actors leak through the walls for an immersive effect.

Chamber 2 – Walking Sticks

The white wallpaper designed by Ugo Gattoni is an invitation to draw closer to the illustrations of various walking sticks used throughout the centuries. There are smaller installations with each of the real walking stick where the playful movie by ballet dancer Jérémie Bélingard is played. One playful walking stick is the Humorous system cane from the 19^thcentury which, as Jérémie Bélingard shows, has the horse poking its tongue when a lever is pressed, leaving the Flâneur with no choice but to smile. Overhead, hangs a late 19^th century parasol cane made of many materials that include ebony, horn, porcelain, lace, and pheasant feathers.

Chamber 3 – The Wardrobe

Caught between the two worlds of a man and a woman, theFlâneurcan relate to this chamber. The display of her wardrobe replete with endless tiers of beautiful Hermès bags and other ready-to-wear accessories. One of them is a beautiful peacock feather handbag that even when the light suddenly switches off for a few seconds for that dramatic effect, the handbag lies there preening its feathers, so to speak, as the Flâneur marvels at the beauty of such delicate handbag. 

As for the men’s wardrobe section, it is the incessant men’s ready to wear accessories of a man who is well travelled -The helmet, leather gloves, cufflinks, even a suitcase.

Chamber 4 – The Square (that wasn’t)

This is where time is suspended as the installations with watches and timepieces from different periods of time seem to hang upside down and the Flâneur is unsure if the best way to view the pieces is to perhaps walk on the ceiling. Some of the Hermès pieces in this chamber are a golfer’s belt-watch from the 1930s. Mini Médor watch from 1993 and Automatic Arceau watch from 2014. Not to forget the eternally revolving fountain which is suspended from above, giving a feeling of defying gravity to the Flâneurwho observes the contemporary collection of handbags and leather goods.

Chamber 5 – After the Rain

The weather dramatically changes when the Flâneurenters this chamber. Dulled by thunder clouds, the chamber is home to a vintage cycle sitting at the corner of the bench while people escape the rain into a coffee shop next door. If the Flâneurchooses instead to walk in the rain, he will notice that there is the hope in the form of the pretty envelope clutch and fountain pen that offers the Flâneur the possibility to pen stories. As the birds watch the rain drench the bench and an installation of rain dripping onto the umbrella, those who love the rain will remain entrenched in the beauty of this chamber.

Chamber 6 – The café of Forgotten Objects

The desertion of the tables outside the café is evident as the Flâneurseeks refuge in the cozy cafe where mini installations are placed everywhere. In fact there is a bartender who serves up a quick single shot of espresso as the Flâneur observes the array of cufflinks, galop rings and bracelets from the contemporary collection.  In the background the bulldog which has been safety tied outside the coffee shop yelps to its owner sitting inside.  This is by far on of the most stimulating chambers in the collection because that’s what forgotten objects in the life of the Flâneur do, when they are brought from the forgotten attics into his senses of his life.

Chamber 7 – The Street Artist

After the cozy café where the Flâneur is lost in the world of his own, the chamber of the street artist is a gigantic room where the street artist is in the process of painting away on huge walks, capturing some essence of the art of being a Flâneur and the art of Flânerie. Khalid Mezaina has already started to paint the town red – scenes he has painted so far includes a man looking through his personal lorgnette while the street lights turn on, the trees in full bloom as the horses gallop through the walls.

Chamber 8 – The Passage

The arcade seems to be bleak till the Flâneur stops by each window display that has a theme. The first thing that grabs is the eye is the elephant with beady eyes who has decided to be part of the display where contemporary porcelain collections from 2004, 2007 and 2011 are showcased. Other window displays show cameras from 1969, as well as a radio set and parking disc from the 1960s. Not to forget the mink helmet from 1970.

Chamber 9 – Eye Spies

The room is characterised by strangely irregular features, with window panes on the floor and on the wall. The Flâneur is welcomed by little eyes with long eyelashes that seem to keep an eye on him wherever he goes in this room.  They seem to be the secret guardians of the intricately carved lorgnettes from the 18^th and 19^th centuries.  The Flâneur sets his gaze onto a quaint space where the mannequin swivels as she shows off her cape and the whole home comes to life as its occupants are away.

Chamber 10 – Home

Sometimes the end of the road, the end of the journey is a gut wrenching experience when one needs to return to the real world of its mundane glory. The animation scene here is however a pleasant walk back from the realm of surrealism into reality, with an amazing drawing by Ugo Gattoni and the video mapping of lights moving through the drawing by Sigmasix.

It is a fine showcase of the Hermès opulent products drawn out in a way that compels the senses to touch, feel, and live Hermès even after they step out of the exhibition.

DSF 2016 features over 150 exciting events and activities offering extraordinary experiences to visitors from around the world in a reflection of the festival tagline ‘Únwrap The Exceptional’.