For their latest work, French duo Lucie Thomas and Thibault Zimmermann of the graphic studio Zim & Zou created epic artist windows for the Herms store in Shanghai. The concept was inspired by a Museum of Natural History and a Cabinet of Curiosities. The windows displayed hand-made sculptures of animals made of leather offcuts from Herms workshops in Paris. “We had this idea of a museum while discovering the architecture of the building,” they tell us. “Its historical past gave this place a special aura. We wanted to recreate this mysterious atmosphere, so typical to a Museum of Natural History.”
Most stunning are all of the bird sculptures, particularly the ornate peacock. “It’s obviously one of our favorite parts of the windows,” stated Zim & Zou. “It measures almost 1.5 meters, fully hand-made with paper and tape for the structure, leather offcuts carefully selected from Herms workshops for the feathers and head, and just two small pearls to give it a ‘deeper look’. We wanted it to show its back to passers-by and just a quick look up its shoulder. Not just because its back is very detailed and has the most beautiful feathers, but we tried to make it feel like it is a proud and elegant bird.”
Among all the birds there is the peacock, the owl, the golden pheasant, a hoopoe and a hummingbird. The birds took the longest to create, for example, the peacock was made in a total of 15 days. “It’s quite a long process, but that’s the most exciting thing, too. To create the birds, we have to start by the tail, then we go up and finish by the head. It’s always a very special moment when we’re finally discovering their faces and characters.”
