Hermès "The Gift of Time” Exhibition - A Wonderland of Surprises
Hermès “The Gift of Time” Exhibition, 1-12 August 2012 @ Tanjong Pagar Railway Station
“Night after night, the top span and danced on the table to the rhythm of a beating heart, tracing its circle with the precision, patience and pave of the second hand of a clockface.”
In conjunction with Hermès 175th anniversary, the luxury house has collaborated with American artist Hilton McConnico, who is also a scenographer, poet and long-time partner of Hermès, to create an exhibition that narrates its history through the sequence of time – the brand’s theme of 2012. First unveiled in Hong Kong in June 2012, the exhibition makes its stop at Tanjong Pagar Railway Station in Singapore for 12 days before heading for Lille, Paris.
Visitors will travel through a circular display of seven rooms housing various forms of mixed media displays comprising Hermès artefacts. Each room brings out different emotions and thoughts in the visitor, and the journey through time is tinged with light humour, surprises and a visual delight of excellent craftsmanship. I found myself wondering about the significance of time, and moments of time which I would like to preserve like a prized Birkin bag.
“Hermès time does not try to master time but rather offers us the time to see and understand this ever changing world”.
Hilton McConnicoHermès “The Gift of Time” presented at the now-defunct Tanjong Pagar Railway Station. A wonderful opportunity to revisit this national monument which has stood through time before Singapore’s independence.A dramatic entrance akin to a time tunnel with motifs of galloping horses flanking the walls.A memory frozen in time
Wow, the now-defunct KTM train ticketing counter looks so chic! Awesome photo backdrop. The Malay ticketing aunties would have looked so out of place…or like ghosts with the orange light shining up on their faces. Heh.Hermès “The Gift of Time” Exhibition
The visitor begins the walk contemplating The Origin of Time (Room 1), before continuing on to Free Time (Room 2), Time Suspended (Room 3), In Reverence to the Watch (Room 4), or to The Stroke of Ttime (Room 5), reminding us of the patina on objects (Room 6). Finally, time will be dedicated to a moment of sharing and to the transmission of memories and thoughts (Room 7).The Origin of Time 時間本源 (Room 1)
The first exhibit draws us back to the beginning of time – the sun-dial is moving anti-clockwise to signify going backwards in time. It is also printed in the original print of an Hermes scarf “Astrologie” designed in 1963.“Never forget: the first role of Light is to make the Dark more beautiful, and not to measure out the days.“
Yes Light, please highlight only the best parts of my body, and leave out the fats.Room of Free Time 自由時光 (Room 2)
In this room visitors are requested to take off their time-keeping devices so as to forget about time, and gain time in the process. The room is surrounded by transcient moments in time as interpreted by the artist , and the visitor is encouraged to find a moment which they can relate to. Explore every moment, and get lost in time.These quotes spoke to me. The middle row reminded me of the times with chum D. The middle one in the first row left me wondering. *Wink*Time Suspended 暫停時間 (Room 3)
Time suspension is interpreted through equestrian – the red-and-white bars you see are set at 2.47 metres – which is the record height ever jumped by a horse. During that moment of jump, time seems to be suspended until the horse touches the ground again. This exhibit also makes reference to Hermès’ beginnings as a saddle maker, and it latest form of the horse saddle is made of titanium and carbon fibre – the lighter the saddle, the higher the horse can jump, the longer it can stay in air – suspended in time. Very abstract, but if you take time to understand the artist’s interpretations, it’s pretty intriguing.Interesting info: The time reflected in the watch is actually non-existent – you can never get your hour and minute hands to be in that position stuck between 11 and 12 o’clock (go try adjusting your watch). Signifying a time suspended, this is done by adjusting two mechanisms in the watch. Once you click on the watch, you ‘unsuspend’ time and it continues to move as per normal again. If only I can have such a ‘magical watch’.Balanced time 平衡時間 (Room 4)
The quest for time balance is depicted through a constantly spinning giant top’s quest for equilibrium – it has to keep moving to stay balanced. Like-wise, we can’t control time just as we can’t control the top’s spinning. The fragile nature of time is also expressed through the tableware from Hermès’ conservatory surrounding the top. Very expensive to break indeed.Les Inversables, Circa 1930
A patented unspillable port service – it can be tipped in any direction and the empty or full glasses remain upright. And unspillable. Very intriguing to watch. I almost got lost in time looking at it.The Stroke of Time 輕撫歲月 (Room 5)
When the artist asked Pierre-Alexis Dumas, the creative director of Hermès “If Hermès was an animal, what would it be?” The response was a cat – cos’ it can be very still like the cat observing its prey, or quick to pounce when hunting (oh poor parrot).The pixelated image of the cat, similar to the parrot is made up of recycled leather bits from Hermès workshop. It’s made up of different textures of leather, and the artist encourages visitors to feel the leather and interact with the exhibit. The more it is ‘carressed’, the leather is conditioned and the exhibit alters its form over time.A lime green bag functioning as a pendulum showing wear and tear of an Hermès over time. Left: 1920s bag; Right: The exact bag made in 1990Imaginary time 想像時刻 (Room 6)
This is my favourite exhibit. The visitor enters a dark room with an abstract light projection. He is encouraged to take in the smell, sound and images in the room and go into a spiral of dreams projecting the visitor into memories of childhood, of special moments, of anything significant in life. In other words, create your own moment in time.The Gift of Time 時光之禮(Room 7)
In the final room, the artist transports the visitor into a wonderland. He reminds us of the childhoold fable “The Tortoise & the Hare” where the hurried hare loses to the leisurely tortoise . In other words, take your time to truly see the beautiful world you live in. Look out for the cuckoo clock perched on the Tree of Life – it holds an unexpected surprise *wink*“Play time with Hermès. Give your own meaning to taking your time. Are you a hare or a tortoise? Live life at your own pace.”All creations you see in this room are made from defective items from Hermès’ Petit ‘H’ collection which have been given a second lease of life through the meticulous hands of its talented craftsemen.Made from an Hermès scarf. J’adore! I wanna bring you everywhere!Teapots and cups having a second life as lamps and watering cansThis Mini Kelly is SO insanely cute!Take time to pen a postcard to a loved one at the end of the exhibition. Hermès will post it for you.Railway tracks of yesteryear – how much memories, goodbyes must have been collected here.Get to munch on local favourites at the pop up cafes from the folks at U Cafe, Popaganda, Seng Choong Confectionery and Much Much overlooking the tracks. (Champagne at exhibition preview)Display at U CafeHermès “The Gift of Time”Specially designed seating area inspired by train cabinsLook of the Day
White netted dress: Creature de Keis
Red netted innerpiece: From Hong Kong
Leather Harness: Custom made
Bracelets: Hermes
Polka Dot Stockings: From Hong KongWalking the Tracks of Forgotten Time
Shoes: Maison Martin Margiela
The Gift of Time
The first time I met you
The sky burst out in fireworks (literally!)
Never would I expect
That would be the start
To a glowing lifelong friendship
I will never forget all the moments
That took my breath away
That gave me so much joy & laughter
That gave me high blood pressure
That made me feel truly thankful to be alive
In so little time we’ve shared
Memories enough to fill the sky
Adventures enough to fill the ocean
Dreams enough to fill the galaxy
And an unbreakable bond enough to last till the end of time
As we move along through this path called life
We will continue to write our story
We will continue to grow and we will continue to share
And prick each other like wild boars
That in all keeps our bond alive
As you travel along life’s journey
Up the tallest mountains
Down through the valleys
Know that you will never walk alone
Cos’ I’m taking this journey with you
As surely as the sun will rise
I will be never far away
From you who is indeed a gift of time
Oh how blessed I am to have you
My chum, my blessing, my guiding light
Hermès “The Gift of Time”
1 to 12 August 2012
Opens 11 am to 9 pm daily
Free Admission
Address: 30 Keppel Road, Singapore 089059
Website: lesailes.hermes.com/na/en/the_gift_of_time_