The Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake is featured at the Fondation Cartier, together with selected internationally reputed artists, in the exhibition Mémoires Vives, which celebrates the 30 year anniversary of the French luxury jeweler.

For the exhibition, Miyake presented a lighting installation inside the Grand Salle, which extends also to the blooming garden, creating a striking shadow-play within the transparent architecture of Jean Nouvel's building. The showcased lamps are part of the IN-EI COLLECTION which he designed in partnership with Reality Lab, and produced together with Artemide.

Their particular design inspired by Jun Mitani's mathematical studies makes them similar to shadow sculptures, that are paradoxically beautiful during daylight and mysterious at night. Each lamp is handcrafted from recycled materials, such as plastic bottles, in order to establish a connection between industrial design and sustainable artisanal techniques. The concept of craftsmanship represents one of Miyake's major topic and was also featured in the exhibition Issey Miyake Making Things, that was exhibited at the Fondation Cartier back in 1998.

Mémoires Vives
May 10th - September 21st
Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain,
261 bd Raspail
Paris

Photo © Hervé Tarrieu

Cecilia Musmeci @ Modemonline