Pierre Balmain’s early architectural training was clearly reflected in his distinctive mastery of haute couture’s volumes and strict tailoring. It also pushed him to partner with leading architects of his day on the construction of impressive structures, most notably Villa Balmain, the designer's extraordinary retreat on the Isle of Elba.
For Miami’s Art Week, Cuban artist Alexandre Arrechea has created “Hexagon Garden” in collaboration with LITO, a reimagined vision of Pierre Balmain’s beloved island get-away, with Arrechea transporting that sleek mid-century residence to a fascinating new location, set deep within the metaverse.
As Arrechea explains, inside his new, dreamlike universe, he’s played with important house symbols—bees and gems—as Villa Balmain’s bees carry a singularly precious pollen—dazzling gems—from the surrounding lush grounds into the artist’s hexagon gardens—honeycombs—that Arrechea has placed around and within the villa’s sleek walls. Ultimately, the bees create compelling shimmering variations on the architectural masks that Arrechea has explored in previous works.
We invite you to click to open the episode’s special webpage, which will allow you to scroll through videos and images of Villa Balmain and Alexandre Arrechea’s creations, powered by LITO Hi-Rnd© Technology.
CREDITS L’ATELIER BALMAIN EPISODE 2.5
VILLA BALMAIN: BEES, GEMS AND HEXAGON GARDEN
Balmain Creative Director: Olivier Rousteing
Episode Direction and Production: Seb Lascoux
Balmain Historian: Julia Guillon
Episode Coordination: Jeremy Mace
Webpage Layout and Coordination: Léa Bouyssou
Episode researched, written and presented by John Gilligan
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