The Villa Noailles opens the 36th edition of the Hyères Festival
In the 1920s, the American novelist Edith Wharton wrote: “Hyères so gold, so full of flowers”. A century later, this quote – a testament to her love for the French city – serves as the main theme of the 36th Festival of Fashion, Photography and Accessories in Hyères. Gold was scattered in the spaces of the Villa Noailles with floral installations by Debeaulieu, while Swiss artist Adrian Geller was commissioned by the Villa to paint its walls with his “interior garden”. The in-situ work guided the visitor to the exhibitions presented by the three presidents of this year’s juries: a group show orchestrated by Louise Trotter, president of the fashion jury, an infinity room (the “coREDor”) designed by Christian Louboutin, president of the accessories jury, as well as an impressive installation by Dominique Isserman (president of the photography jury) – a 1997 photograph of Mickey Hardt in the port of Marseille. A few moments before the official inauguration, Emma Bruschi, the 2020 winner of the ‘le19M des Métiers d’Arts de Chanel’ Prize, a major partner of the Festival, presented her weaving workshop in collaboration with the manufacture that brings together all of the French House’s ‘métiers d’art’. As dusk approached, the Villa Noailles front garden was already full as Jean-Pierre Blanc gave his inaugural speech in the presence of the city’s mayor Jean-Pierre Giran. After a parkour performance by the Marseille group Wonsembe (“the strength of being together”), Claire Laffut had the assistance dancing to some of the tracks from her first album, ‘Bleu’. The inauguration was punctuated by a screening of a teaser of Karim Zeriahen’s film ‘Être Marie-Laure’, a special commission of the Villa Noailles scheduled for release in 2023. For a few privileged people, the evening continued with a private dinner with Camélia Jordana, Ichon or Malik Djoudi. After a 2020 edition qualified as an ‘in-between’, the Hyères Festival returns even stronger!
Photos : Pierre Mouton
