LOUIS ROEDERER x DUY ANH NHAN DUC
"When I first met Duy Anh there was this powerful aesthetic attraction to his work, so powerful that it shook me. Above and beyond an aesthetic emotion, it was this confluence between the freedom of nature and the precision of his art that really struck a chord with us. The way in which Duy Anh magnifies the simple elements of nature really echoes our own vision at Louis Roederer"
"Learn about the genesis of this collaboration"
THE COLLABORATION
THE ARTIST
Duy Anh Nhan Duc
Duy Anh Nhan Duc was born in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam and has enjoyed a close relationship with nature since his childhood. His installations are the fruit of his own personal harvests and beckon us to stop for a minute and look at the plant world from a fresh perspective.
Clover, salsify, lichen, wheat and dandelion and now the vine, its soils and its rock, make up his artistic palette and become the materials for his highly sensitive works. In his workshop, the artist creates a nature of poetry, one that is in perfect harmony with the fragility of the present moment.
MORE THAN JUST AN ENCOUNTER, A CONVERGENCE
The encounter between Duy Anh Nhan Duc and Louis Roederer has led to such an ambitious work because it lies at the point of convergence between two perspectives, two worlds that were calling to each other.
Louis Roederer believes in listening to nature, understanding it, respecting it and supporting it, and, for the past two decades, it has shown its commitment to nature by developing organic and biodynamic practices, determined to draw out the purest expression of the terroir. This work by the men and women at Roederer resonates deeply within Duy Anh’s work in which artistic expression acts as a vector for beauty.
"No order was placed, nothing specific was asked of me" explains Duy Anh. "Neither myself nor the Louis Roederer Champagne House knew what to expect. These works came to be as a result of my encounter with the vine and with the men and women who work it"
A COMPANIONSHIP
Five works have been created as a result of this close comradeship between the artist, the vine and the winegrowers over the course of two years, as a result of their savoir-faire and in-depth understanding of nature, their sensitivity to changes in colour in the plant and the soils. This intimacy was the real inspiration for the five works. The companionship gave rise to what we could call a "catalogue of materials", a work within a work. As for the "purpose" of this adventure, it is simply this: honouring the value, the beauty and the poetry of the work carried out by everyone at Louis Roederer in co-creation with nature.
LIGNES DE VIE (LINES OF LIFE)
Work 1 - September 2021
From afar what we see is an enormous block of stone, a monolith composed of a multitude of smaller blocks of chalk. As we move closer, we notice golden veins running through the chalk: lines of life.
Discover Work 1 "Lignes de Vie" (Lines of Life)
CHALK AS AN ALLY
"Chalk is the greatest ally of the vine and the winegrower", explains Duy Anh.
As we listen to him speak, standing beside his work, we realise just how closely he has observed the vine and the tireless work that goes into cultivating it.
"Chalk offers optimal drainage properties whilst retaining just the right level of humidity in the soils. It provides the vine with the minerals it needs and it is these minerals that give rise to the unique character of the wines of Champagne. Lines of life places the focus on this synergy. The lines symbolise the vine roots running through the chalk, a concept that strikes a chord with all those who work in the vineyards at Louis Roederer. They do everything they can to ensure that the vine has the strength it needs to drive its roots deep down into this highly desirable chalk".
LIVING ROOTS
These golden veins symbolise not only the roots of the plant but also the hands of the winegrowers, as if they were one and the same in the eyes of Duy Anh. Both are lines of life, both are rooted in the living.
"Our handprint is what makes us unique and the gestures of the hand are a means of expressing our relationship with others and with the Earth" says Duy An. "The roots of human nature are accentuated in the chalk and represent the importance of teamwork in winegrowing and also in the passing on of our savoir-faire and beliefs from generation to generation. The numerous blocks that make up the sculpture symbolise the great care and work performed by hand in the vineyards, as if each person were contributing by adding a stone to the building".
"I didn’t go into the vineyards with my artist head on", says Duy Anh. "I went to listen to nature and the men and women who work in these vineyards. And the works, the first of which was Lignes de Vie, emerged all by themselves".
"Well, not completely all by themselves", replies Frédéric Rouzaud, "As you had the intelligence and acute sensitivity to get as close as you possibly could, to not seek to produce beauty artificially but simply to show beauty as it is. This really moved us as it is what we do every day when creating our wines".
COSMOS
Work #2 - January 2022
An impressive block of chalk, rising upwards towards the sky like a menhir yet crafted not by the hand of Man but by the hands of the Earth itself. A golden star sitting at its centre.
Discover the second work of art born from this companionship: "Cosmos"
COSMIC RHYTHMS
The two years that Duy Anh spent in the vineyards at domaine Louis Roederer taught him the importance of the zodiac in biodynamic viticulture and the role it plays in extracting the purest expression of the terroir. The mysterious yet very real relationship between the elements, between water, air, earth, fire and space. Between the deep chalky soils and the sky, between the plant and the stars, the phases of the moon, the movements of the planets and the sun through the seasons. These interconnections are listened to carefully and respected at the domaine. Pruning is always carried out in line with the phases of the moon. The harvest date is determined not only by the ripeness of the grapes but also by the astral configuration.
A GOLDEN STAR IN A BLOCK OF CHALK
Cosmos is a reminder that being sensitive to, and humble before, nature does not undermine its power, its hypnotic strength. The stone came out of the ground exactly as it is and was carefully selected by the artist who was on-site in Champagne for the excavation. ‘I wouldn’t have been able to create a stone of that shape myself even if I had tried’ he insists.
An impressive block of chalk and a golden star sitting at its centre. ‘A golden star in a block of chalk’ as the artist describes it. A perfect circle carved into the stone, a circle of divine gold.
‘Cosmos explores the fascinating link between the organic world and the celestial world. I wanted this work to address one of the three main axes of biodynamic viticulture, that of working in accordance with cosmic rhythms. It’s as if the vine oscillates between planetary influences and terrestrial gravity’ explains Duy An.
FRAGMENTS
Work #3 - March 2022
The work is radical in its simplicity, radical in the richness of that which it conceals, the depth of the themes that feed it and the simplicity of its expression, its geometry, its economy.
Discover work 3 "Fragments"
THE VINE LIVES AND IS REBORN
The vine is a living being, a fact that has been undisputed since its cultivation by the Egyptians and Greeks. The vine lives and the vine is reborn. Duy Anh was moved by the decomposition-recomposition of the vine and wanted to retain a trace of the elements that disappear over the growing cycle.
THE SIMPLICITY OF FRAGMENTS
Louis Roederer senses the work’s respect for time, its trust in this perpetual renewal, its desire to keep a trace of the past whilst continuing to live through these memories. Herein lies the resounding simplicity of Fragments.
"I came up with the idea of a composition of several glass tubes holding fragments of grape skins, grape seeds, leaves, vine shoots, soil, chalk and so on. The colours and textures capture the memories of their past lives. It is a way of illustrating the impermanent nature of the growing cycle whilst honouring and remembering what has ceased to be’ he tells us."
IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE SOILS
Work #4 - June 2022
"In remembrance of the soils" (Mémoire du sol) is a celebration of the fields lying fallow and invaded by flowers and the deep respect that Louis Roederer shows the land by giving it the time it needs to rest and regenerate.
Discover work 4 "In remembrance of the soils"
THE INCREDIBLE DIVERSITY OF THE SOILS
In remembrance of the soils reveals the incredible diversity of the soils and places the vine at the very core of biodiversity. The wildflowers, leaves, fruit and grains together make up a delicate herbarium that withstands the effects of time thanks to the resin that protects it. The work serves as a reminder that life on the Louis Roederer estate goes far beyond the vine rows. The thousands of plants, birds and insects are all part of its biodiversity and give rise to the intensity and diversity of aromas in its wines.
UNCULTIVATED FIELDS
Duy Anh was inspired by these uncultivated fields full of wildflowers that lie beside Louis Roederer’s plots of vines.
"Before any new vine stocks are planted, the soils are given a period of time to rest. For two years they are allowed to regenerate and nourish themselves with a layer of vegetation that is essential for microbial life and biodiversity. In spring the fallow fields become these floral meadows, abundant with life and nature. The humus is the greatest ally of the future vine stock as it enables the soil to capture the strength of the flowers, leaves, fruit and grains."
THE FIELD OF WIND
Work #5 - September 2022
Small fabric rectangles floating in the air, their colours sourced from the vine leaves, grape skins and soils. An impossibly delicate kaleidoscope of yellows, pinks, greys, browns and greens.
Discover the artwork # 5 "The Field of wind".
THE SILENT BEAUTY OF THE VINE AS IT LAYS DORMANT
‘Le champ du vent celebrates the silent beauty of the vine as it lays dormant’ explains Duy Anh. ‘In winter the sap moves back down into the roots of the vine so that it may focus its attention on the plant’s vital organs in preparation for the cold weather. Time stands still in this period between the excitement of the harvests and the next growing cycle, the renaissance of spring.’
SHOWING GRATITUDE TO THE SOILS
‘It was during this resting period that I came up with the idea of showing gratitude to the soils for the fruit that has just been harvested and honouring them in the next growing cycle. The leaves fall from the vine in winter and only the wood remains and I felt the need to bring colour to these monochrome landscapes’ he adds. These floating swathes of colour reflect the energy of the winegrowers throughout the harvests, the pride and joy they take in their work as can be seen from the traditional harvest closure dinner known as the ‘Cochelet’.
The men and women at Louis Roederer see "Le Champ du vent" as an ode to nature, a ceremony of thanks for the elements, the soils, the vine, the skies and the water which come together in the fruit and are reflected in the wines. It is their way of expressing their gratitude for the magical beauty of nature which continues to astonish them, time and time again.