DISPLAYSTHETICS
by item idem
Céline flagship store, B1 art space, Omotesando, Tokyo.
DISPLAYSTHETICS unveils an overwhelming yet inviting hybrid
reconfiguration of Céline's Omotesando flagship store. In venturesome
variations to the usual luxury display, item idem triggers a multifaceted installation
introducing everyday objects, furnishings and items into astounding scenarios
and happenings.
From renegade art space Caniche Courage to internationally acclaimed Bernhard
Wilhelm Tokyo store or the week-long occupation of bewitching retail temple
Loveless’ window, item idem uses retail environs as highly-cultural settings
by relocating performative actions within. Collisions of structures re-create
crossbreed territories where actions and involvements re-invent themselves towards
new meanings and communication schemes. A mini nightclub invading a luxury boutique,
a home interior shifting temporarily into a private photo studio, an art gallery
switching into an ethnical gastronomic restaurant, or a mini pirate radio station
for artists, musicians & scientists to gather, are as many options on item
idem’s negotiating table, along with daily interactions with invited artists,
performers and magazines. In contrast to the luxury store's typically slick
displays, the gallery space and show windows are dramatically altered by a maze
of products compulsively purchased from Tokyo Hands, becoming an ephemeral,
D.I.Y. play on display.
item idem’s conceptually-driven works at the crossroads of art, fashion,
design and retail science propose today a wittily loose interpretation of Nicolas
Bourriaud’s “relational aesthetics”. Artworks give birth to
unexpected situations and foster interaction opportunities toward new interconnections,
themselves redefining the overall concept and shape of the finalized artwork.
In his attempt to relocate heterogeneous aesthetical structures, item idem collaborated
with personalities as diverse as Michel Gaubert, Loris Gréaud, Terence
Koh, Bruce LaBruce, Karl Lagerfeld, Nagi Noda, Kevin Spacey, Bernhard Willhelm
or Tobias Wong.
A highlight of Tokyo Design Tide 2007, DISPLAYSTHETICS is an
installation produced with the help of CulturesFrance & the French Embassy
in Japan: it is also item idem’s latest installation and his first intervention
since his nomination for “ The Great Indoors Award 2007” (initiated
by FRAME magazine), among celebrated architects and designers such as Zaha Hadid
or Masamichi Katayama (Wonderwall, Inc.).
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DISPLAYSTHETICS
October 31st-November 4th.
Live events daily from 6 to 8 pm.
CELINE ONE Omotesando
3-5-29 Kita AoyamaMinato-Ku, 107-0061 Tokyo, Japan
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