Inside a dark airport hangar, Hermès is unveiling a poetic and cinematic performance celebrating the French luxury brand’s love of craftsmanship and the skills that go with it.
Opening on Saturday at the Santa Monica Airport in Southern California, “On the Wings of Hermès” tells the Greek tale of Pegasus, the mythical winged horse, and his seven foals on their quest to find lightness as they grow their wings and fly.
The eight-day event launching on Saturday takes place inside the Barker Hangar’s vast space, which now resembles a sound stage where seven overhead screens are positioned around the warehouse-like area.
The one-hour performance, held three times a day, incorporates dance performances, hand choreography and cinema. There are seven mini staging areas where all the action takes place on platforms but is projected to the screens. You can see a mini circus, a humorous opera where “Kelly” handbags sing and dance or a story of two lovers carried away by the wind into the sky. Tickets are available to the public through the brand website.
“This is a multidisciplinary installation that mixes theater and dance. There is this whole sense of film, which we thought was particularly relevant to the Los Angeles area, which is the headquarters of film,” said Diane Mahady, president of Hermès’ American division, who was in town for the event and will return later this month for the opening of a new store at Westfield Topanga. “It’s really this idea of craftsmanship, which is at the center of things that Hermès does.”
This is the fifth time the performance, created by Belgian director Jaco Van Dormael and choreographer Michèle Anne De Mey with her Astragales dance company, has been presented by Hermès. It debuted in March 2022 in Paris at the Grande Halle de La Villette and has traveled to Japan and Taiwan. The creative performance will continue to travel around the world.