nendo le bon marché: a poetic vision of nature’s cycles

each year for the past five years, paris’ le bon marché has invited leading contemporary artists to create works in the store’s spaces. following ai weiwei, chiharu shiota, leandro erlich and joana vasconcelos, this year japanese studio nendo was selected to present its latest exhibition entitled ame nochi hana, or rain flowers. the only instruction in the brief given to the artist was that their creation should resonate with the beginning of the year ‘white sale’ color theme. the exhibition is complemented by two other installations; rain bottle and uncover skies.

image courtesy of le bon marché

set within the majestic atrium at the heart of le bon marché rive gauche, the ame nochi hana installation by nendo invites visitors to take a moment and consider two seemingly ordinary phenomena: rain and blooming flowers. using a diversity of techniques from artisanal craftsmanship to 3D printing, the moving installation sees an array of white drops that turn into flowers while performing a grandiose ballet that generates a calming and meditative experience. infused with oki sato’s ethereal, minimalistic style, the ame nochi hana exhibition is a land of rain and blooming flowers.

image © designboom

‘I thought it was a wonderful story how people would buy white things for their everyday lives – sheets, towels, plates – in order to refresh their spirit, their feelings and their emotions at the start of the new year. that became the starting point for our project,’ says oki sato, founder of nendo design studio.

image © designboom

on the second level, the uncovered skies installation proposes an interactive multimedia immersion for visitors. guests are welcome to stroll upon an illuminated stage holding uncommon umbrellas. while walking along the designated path, poetic images representing rain drops and blooming flowers appear on the floor and change as the visitors wander on the stage. the effect references traditional japanese scroll paintings, where one long rectangular picture tells a story in different scenes and perspectives.

image © designboom

continuing the celebrating of rain and its many nuances, nendo also presents the rain bottle showcase. in japanese, there are dozen of words for rain depending on the condition and time of day, or of the shape and size of drops. nendo proposes to reflect on these sensibilities of the language throughout the installation of lined-up clean bottles. by exhibiting twenty different kinds of rain, nendo wishes to express the japanese culture’s unique relationship to nature, and the depths of this relationship.

image courtesy of le bon marché