Paperie and Chinoiserie

Inspiration for our latest windows came while watching First Monday in May.  It is a captivating documentary about what goes into the making of the Met Gala event and the related exhibition at the museum.  In this case, it was China: Through the Looking Glass.  For the event, there was a monumental installation of a 12,500 pound Chinoiserie vase covered in over 250,000 stems of white roses created by designer Raul Avila and his team.  I knew Raul back in the day in NYC and it was a nice surprise to see him featured in the film, and also to see where life and his phenomenal talents have taken him.  I still remember receiving one of the most beautiful floral arrangements I have ever seen as a gift from him.  It was an antique clay pot filled with what seemed like a hundred pale multi-colored roses.  I still have the pot and he still seems to like working with roses, but obviously on a pretty grand scale these days.  I loved the idea of covering something, like my window walls, in fresh roses but lack the Met/ Vogue budget, and needed something a little more long lasting.  I thought about various materials and decided to experiment with plain white copy paper.  With considered crumpling and tearing, the paper seemed to take on a somewhat floral, but definitely sculptural quality.  Several hundred sheets, many clear push pins, and a few sore fingers and thumbs later, the walls were covered.  A nice textural backdrop with an interesting play of light was created for this very unusual pair of sculptural, asymmetrical, fan-backed, 1940's chairs.  SOLD