British fashion house Burberry used milk-based colors and flowers to create a pair of temporary installations in the Canary Islands and South Africa that, when viewed from above, mimic the brand’s signature check pattern.
The project was designed as part of the Burberry Landscape Series, which sees the creative collaborate with the brand to produce temporary site-specific land art.
An installation was made in the Canary Islands, where it stayed for a week last November before it was dismantled.
Cuban-American artist Jorge Rodríguez-Grada used natural milk-based paint to create a large-scale version of Berber’s well-known checkered pattern on a volcanic site on El Hierro Island – the world’s first self-governing island. In the wind is used. Its main source of energy, according to the brand.
“One of the things I enjoy about this painting process is that it’s made from minerals,” Rodriguez-Grada said.
“So, as you’re mixing your colors, it’s like alchemy.”
When seen from an aerial perspective, distinctive geometric stripes of beige, red, black and white spread across the unexpected landscape and mimicked the fashion house’s cashmere check scarf, one of Burberry’s most popular accessories introduced in the 1970s. is the.
The temporary sample was removed from the site by wind, as well as by manual turning and use of local water sources in an effort to leave no trace.
A meadow in Overberg, an area east of Cape Town in South Africa, was created as the setting for the second installation.
Early last December, Berberi commissioned local experts to hand-carve the flowers around the plants in a pattern similar to Rodriguez-Gerada’s plan.
Native African daisies and honey-scented Helichrysum petiola were chosen to echo the Burberry colors and attract birds and insects while the installation is intact.
Water collected from the rain catchment dam nourishes the plants before they are removed and mixed back into the ground within a week.
The fashion house chose El Hierro as a nod to Elsie Burberry, the daughter of the brand’s founder, Thomas Burberry. Elsie traveled to the Canary Islands in the early 20th century where she made contact with the landscape of the area.
The Western Cape was chosen in reference to the late aviators Betty Kirby-Green and Arthur Clouston, who co-piloted a Burberry plane from London to Cape Town in 1937 and landed it near Meadow in the Overberg.
“[Burberry Landscapes intends to] Completing the worldview in original ways through natural materials, while demonstrating a continued commitment to pursuing sustainable practices,” said the brand.
“Together, these visions reflect Berber’s belief that creativity opens space,” it added.
Previous iterations of Burberry Landscapes have included the use of sand sculptures, drone shows and hot air balloons, and are featured in locations such as above the Colorado Reserve.
The iconic Burberry check motif was first used as an accessory in its own right in 1967 when Paris-based buyer Jacqueline Dillemman removed the check lining from a coat and reimagined it as a luggage envelope and roof covering. did
Founded in 1856, Burberry created a mirrored pop-up store on South Korea’s Jeju Island to reflect its mountainous surroundings, while the brand also created virtual clothing for the video game Minecraft.
Images courtesy of Burberry.
