In the world of fragrances, procuring your first bottle of Chanel perfume is nothing short of a rite of passage. The Parisian fashion designer Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel behind the eponymous maison’s first fragrance, Chanel N° 5, has proven to be just as relevant today as it was 100 years ago. The scent has upheld a high-end olfactory standard and has become synonymous with luxury and gracing renowned vanities across art, fashion, music, and cinema—most notably Marilyn Monroe. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the iconic fragrance, and with a scent so renowned, only naturally did the Parisian maison go big for its centennial celebration.
Just after taking over New York’s Rockefeller Center to bring an immersive experience “in the stars,” Chanel is heading down to Art Basel along with the fashion, art, and design crowd to continue the fête. Chanel commissioned London-based stage artist Es Devlin to create an installation in celebration of its signature fragrance. If you’re not familiar with Devlin’s work, to add context, the artist is known for her large-scale theatrical installation work, including the set for the super-hot theatrical play “The Lehman Trilogy,” and working with artists including Kanye, Lady Gaga, and Rihanna. The notable artist’s latest project with Chanel will soon arrive at the Miami Design District’s Jungle Plaza just in time for the Art Basel masses to arrive.
Devlin and Chanel will transform the plaza into a multisensory labyrinth entitled “Five Echoes,” starting with a lush forest with more than 20 plant species (a nod to Coco Chanel’s upbringing in Abbey of Aubazine surrounded by woods). A luminescent sculpture that interprets the legendary Chanel N° 5 fragrance through sound and sight emerges at the center of the forest, featuring a soundscape developed in collaboration with Chanel’s in-house perfumer Olivier Polge. The partnership will mark the second time the two have worked together after Chanel commissioned a signature scent in 2016 for the artist’s “Mirror Maze” installation in London.“
The word ‘labyrinth’ originally referred to human movement: it was a dance before it became architecture,” the artist reflects. “If our behavior can define our architecture, then perhaps our art and architecture can alter our behavior. If works of art can help us to see ourselves as part of the biosphere and symbiotically fuse with it, if we can start to see plants and animals as an equal protagonist as ourselves in life, I believe we have a better chance at making the fundamental behavioral shirts that are necessary not only to avoid climate chaos, but also to live in a more just, equitable, and joyful way.”
Located at 3801 NE 1st Avenue, the “Five Echoes”installation will be open to the public from November 30 to December 21, 2021; online ticketing is highly encouraged. With sustainability and positive environmental impact deep in the brand’s DNA, components of the labyrinth will be repurposed and recycled following its closure, while all of the plants used in the installation will be replanted in local public parks. Now that’s chic.
