Last month, an elegant soirée was hosted in the heart of Dubai by Catherine Rénier, CEO of the Swiss watchmaking Maison Jaeger-LeCoultre, to mark the opening of The Stellar Odyssey exhibition.
The special live performance by the acclaimed DJ Amémé was enjoyed by the guests, including British-Lebanese actress Razane Jammal, who is one of the Arab world’s most exciting young acting talents. The Stellar Odyssey exhibition, staged in a spectacular pavilion ‘floating’ on the waters of the Dubai Fountain with Burj Khalifa as its backdrop, leads visitors on a journey through time and space, celebrating the relationship between astronomical phenomena and the measurement of time. Dubai was the first stop on a tour of major world cities, which will continue throughout 2023 and beyond.
Catherine Rénier stated that The Stellar Odyssey exhibition offers a deeply immersive experience, allowing visitors to explore the wonders of the night sky and their relationship with the art of watchmaking. As the Middle Eastern ancient cultures played a crucial role in the origins of time measurement, the exhibition is being honored to begin its world tour in Dubai.
The exhibition features a selection of the Manufacture’s historic and recent celestially-inspired timepieces, presented through multi-media installations that take visitors on a virtual journey to the cosmos. The exhibition transforms the wonders of the celestial world into art installations and multi-sensory experiences. The Atelier d’Antoine, named after the Maison’s founder, Antoine LeCoultre, offers hands-on educational workshops based on the Stellar Odyssey theme, to share watchmaking know-how.
In the main pavilion, beneath a geodesic dome, an immersive digital show takes visitors on a virtual journey through space and time, transporting them through infinite space and 13.7 billion years of time, and revealing the mysteries of the cosmos in five episodes, from the origins of the known universe to the present day.
One of the highlights of The Stellar Odyssey exhibition is a new art installation, Passengers: Through Time, which is created by the French visual artist, Guillaume Marmin, and makes its world debut in Dubai. This art installation is specially commissioned by Jaeger-LeCoultre and invites visitors to reflect on the fundamental question of what time really is, through its endless reflections and astonishing perspectives.
The artist, Guillaume Marmin, stated that Jaeger-LeCoultre’s celestial theme resonates strongly with him as his work with light and sound brings him at the crossroads of scientific, artistic, philosophical and even mystical questions. He also has a strong desire to take art out of galleries and into public spaces, so he feels privileged to invite a wider audience to experience his art as a part of The Stellar Odyssey exhibition.
To enhance the Stellar Odyssey exhibition experience, Jaeger-LeCoultre collaborated with the world-renowned mixologist Matthias Giroud to create a special menu of soft cocktails. Matthias, who is regarded as an alchemist-artist in his field, combined celestial inspiration with intriguing flavors from Jaeger-LeCoultre’s home in Switzerland’s Vallée de Joux. These exceptional mocktails were enjoyed by guests during the opening event and will be offered to visitors during the 20 days of the exhibition.
Both the visual artist Guillaume Marmin and mixologist Matthias Giroud flew to Dubai for the opening event and collaborated with Jaeger-LeCoultre under the aegis of its Made of Makers program. This ongoing series of collaborations with artists, designers, and craftsmen from disciplines outside watchmaking explores and extends the dialogue between horology and art.
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