Design Miami/ 2014: Perrier-Jouët celebrates hand craft and technology

The installation, Ephemera, featured a table with thin metal leaves and plants with sensory motors that reacted to the environment. When visitors approached the table, the foliage hid and became very flat. When left alone for at least two minutes, the plants rose and became alive, dancing to their own choreography.

‘We were inspired by the moment you sometimes have with nature when you go snorkelling and you see sea animals, and suddenly they disappear. How does that happen? And you realise it’s because of you,’ Mischer told LS:N Global.

The duo combined the traditions of carpentry with laser cutting and computer programming for the table, which was the centrepiece of the installation. Ephemera also included two mirrors that played hide and seek with its viewers. From afar, the mirrors were covered in the ornamentation, but up close, the motifs disappeared and the mirrors became completely reflective.

‘Because that’s how nature is – you can appreciate it more from a distance than if you really stand on top of it,’ said Mischer.

Ephemera marked the start of a year-long residency for Mischer’traxler with Perrier-Jouët. It is the first piece in the Small Discoveries collection.  

For more on how everyday objects can be imbued with a sense of whimsy and magic through technology, see our Everyday Re-enchantment microtrend. For more on designers’ new take on nature, read our Fauna Fetish design direction.