Hermes' 'H' Box At London's Tate Modern

Have you ever found yourself really looking forward to something and when the event or the occasion finally takes place, you find yourself utterly disappointed by it? Well, this just happened to me this past weekend. I had read about Hermes' foray into contemporary art patronage a while back when they unveiled the "H" Box exhibit at Paris' Centre George Pompidou and was genuinely excited that it was coming to London. I know that for some, the marriage of luxury brands and contemporary art is by definition a cynical marketing exercise by the luxury industry and while I readily concede that these are not purely altruistic gestures, corporate art patronage is what it is. If it supports a talented young artist, I say 'so what'? Traditionally, promising young artists would seek the patronage of wealthy socialites with time on their hands, plenty of money at their disposal and a desire to do good or at least be seen to be doing so. These days, many socialites would prefer to design handbags or become reality show celebrities. What is a promising young artist to do? In this respect, luxury brands fill a void. When an exhibit is conceived with integrity, it can be a powerful platform for artists. Case in point, Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, one of the first luxury brands to explore this partnership with contemporary artists, has established a solid record in this domain. So, it's in this frame of mind that I eagerly made my way to London's Tate Modern to experience first hand the "H" Box exhibit.

The "H" Box is a pod-like aluminum and perspex structure designed to be a traveling exhibit showcasing video installations by various artists. Each of the eight artists featured produced one short work of a few minutes duration on a theme of their choosing. Unlike the Chanel Mobile Art traveling exhibit which required artists to produce works inspired by the 2.55 quilted handbag and for which Chanel issued a limited-edition 'Mobile Art 2.55' bag to commemorate the event, the works commissioned by the artists were not tied to an Hermes marketing campaign in any way. (Source) In fact, Hermes gave each artist complete creative freedom with no strings attached and paid each artist a commission for their works in much the same way a private collector would do. (Source)

Sadly, the "H" Box in its present incarnation didn't quite meet my expectations. For the viewing public to actually appreciate a video installation, one needs a modicum of physical comfort. This unfortunately does not appear to have been taken into account by the "H" Box's creator, French architect Didier Fiuza Faustino. There is perhaps room for a total of 12 to 14 adults in the "H" Box at any one time with seating for only 6 (by seating, I mean small leather beanbags). The experience therefore rapidly became one of physical endurance as people squatted on the floors and shuffled around the tiny space to get a better view. As motivated as I was, I managed to sit through only 3 of the 8 works and I can't say I was really able to appreciate them in any meaningful sense. Video installations usually require focus and concentration to peel back the layers of meaning and symbolism conveyed by the imagery. The work by Dora Garcia entitled Film (Hotel Wolfers) where the narration and images are independent of each other requires particular effort to grasp the connection between sound and image. The space simply doesn't lend itself to that. It also doesn't help that the size of the screen is fairly large occupying the better part of the back wall of the structure which when combined with the size of the overall space, the sound and the physical discomfort creates a recipe for claustrophobia. While the project looked good on paper, it unfortunately got lost in translation.

H Box will remain in Turbine Hall Bridge, Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG through August 17, 2008. It will then travel to the Yokohama Triennale in Japan. The individual works can be viewed by clicking on the "Tate Modern" link above.

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles