A Centuries-Old Emblem Inspires a New Object of Beauty

 "It’s in perpetual motion, reflecting light and intensity depending on the time of day," says Sébastien Thiery. The Parisian craftsman, an expert in the art of gold leaf, is describing the ethereal object his family’s sought-after gilding studio, Atelier Thiery, recently created in collaboration with sculptor Charles Kaisin to celebrate the French cognac house Rémy Martin.

The installation comprises an irregular cloud of small, jewel-like forms. It subtly breathes and shimmers in midair, as if assembled by an unseen hand. The piece doesn’t have a front or back; as you move around it, the fine handwork on each spiky "droplet" of metal comes into focus, as does the shape they combine to form.

Rémy Martin brought Kaisin and Thiery together to make this cross-disciplinary work as a tribute to the limited edition design of Rémy’s XO decanter. It was the brand’s centuries-old emblem, the centaur of ancient Greek lore, that inspired Kaisin’s design concept. Rendered in brass and gilded with 14-karat gold leaf, a cascade of tiny centaur-shaped totems—there are 1,724, commemorating Rémy’s founding date—collectively hang in the shape of a single, gigantic centaur. 

"Half human, half horse, the centaur represents peace and immortality," says Belgium-based Kaisin, whose practice spans object design, architectural installation, and stage design. He depicted the mythological beast in a sharp-angled, origami-influenced style that can be seen in some of his past works