CODDESS VARIATIONS | OPÉRA DE PARIS

The Paris Opera launches Coddess Variations, a new collection of digital art by Hermine Bourdin, at the crossroads of sculpture and dance.

 

For this innovative artistic project, Hermine wanted to combine sculpture, dance, computer code and digital images, reinforcing the inseparable links between the real and virtual worlds that embody our times. In Hermine’s mind, the starting point is a metaphorical dialogue between two goddesses, two sculptures…

A sculpture in plaster – the material that Brancusi described as “the material of dreams” – measuring 2 metres, inspired by a Paleolithic goddess, created with the support of the various trades of the Opéra de Paris workshops at Bastille, combining traditional craftsmanship with a contemporary artistic approach.

A living sculpture, imagined and created by Hermine in residence at the Opéra’s under the direction of Christine Neumeister. This goddess is brilliantly embodied by Eugénie Drion, a dancer with the Paris Opera Ballet. She appears both in the digital collection and at the October 20, 2024 performance to celebrate the launch of the collection.

 

Presale: Oct 15th

Public sale: Oct 20th 

Register presale and be notified : https://nft.operadeparis.fr/en

 
To attend the private performance at the Opéra Garnier on October 20th in Le Foyer de la Danse—known as “the womb of the Opera”—register for the presale and be one of the first collectors of Coddess Variations. Attendance is strictly limited due to space and security.

The choreography was created by Ania Catherine of Duo Operator, with set design by Hermine Bourdin. It is based on an algorithmic method created by Duo Operator (Ania Catherine and Dejha Ti). Nine blocks of movement were created to represent the cycles of a woman, young woman, mother and elderly woman, leaving it up to the code to determine the construction of the narrative thread between each block.

Importantly, for the first time, choreography from a cultural institution has been generated and stored on the Ethereum blockchain, making it collectible as 100 unique works. Operator’s on-chain method was used to enable this choreography to be stored and collected.

A fundamental aspect of this work is the filmed capture by Hervé Martin Delpierre, whose images serve as the basis for the works in the collection, bringing a unique aesthetic dimension to the whole, an aesthetic dialogue between past and present, paying homage to surrealism on the occasion of its centenary.

 

“Coddess Variations aims to connect the real and virtual worlds, marrying the ancient art of sculpture, the classical art of dance, the 20th-century art of film, and the 21st-century art of code. It seeks to create a dialogue between the Goddess of ancient times, the spiritual foundation of lost civilizations, and the spatio-temporal revolution of algorithmic codes that shape our current world.”

– Hermine Bourdin

To complete the dialogue of time, Hermine also had Camille Chaigne transcribe the choreography into “Laban” notations. This ancient and beautiful technique allows the visual representation of movements. The greatest ballets in the history of dance, notated in Laban, can now be found in the libraries of the most prestigious opera houses.

The collection’s performance and film are enriched by an original composition by Christine Ott, composer and concert performer, and virtuoso of the ondes Martenot, the instrument chosen to dialogue with the goddesses of Coddess Variations. An instrument designed at the beginning of the 20th century and nicknamed “the wave sculptor” by its inventor.

Collectors will not only own the digital artworks, but also the underlying choreography that generated the pieces–each artwork is tied to a specific time segment of the performance.

 

Presale: Oct 15th 

Public sale: Oct 20th 

To attend the private performance at the Opéra Garnier on October 20th in Le Foyer de la Danse—known as “the womb of the Opera”—register for the presale and be one of the first collectors of Coddess Variations. Attendance is strictly limited due to space and security.

AXIS MUNDI

7 septembre - 7 octobre 2023

Galerie Julie caredda 4 rue de mirosmenil, paris 8

L’énigme des traces à l’épreuve du présent

Pour sa première exposition personnelle à la Galerie Julie Caredda, Hermine Bourdin investit les lieux en une proposition cohérente et tenue qui atteste d’un lien d’imaginaire avec des temps oubliés, des civilisations disparues, des cosmogonies anciennes. Elle dit ce qui s’est transmis par-delà les temps, les appartenances, les territoires, les langages articulés, ce qui échappe à l’intellection mais vivra toujours par l’imagination. Le corpus d’œuvres dans leur diversité – dessins, sculptures, photographies, films – témoigne d’une proximité avec un art qui savait unir le symbolique et l’imaginaire, un art qui nous est énigmatique et qui pourtant sait nous émouvoir jusqu’au vertige. Cet art est si ancien que nous ne pouvons en prendre la mesure, mille huit cents générations humaines nous en sépare, cet art, faute de mieux, est nommé art préhistorique. Nous avons pourtant cette intuition que le nommer ainsi est insuffisant […]

 

Christopher Yggdre

 

The Enigma of Traces Tested by the Present

For her first solo exhibition at Galerie Julie Caredda, Hermine Bourdin immerses the space with a coherent and restrained proposition that bears witness to an imaginative connection with forgotten times, vanished civilizations, and ancient cosmogonies. She speaks of what has been transmitted across time, affiliations, territories, articulated languages, that which eludes intellectual grasp but will always thrive in the realm of imagination. The diverse corpus of works, including drawings, sculptures, photographs, and films, testifies to an affinity with an art that knew how to unite the symbolic and the imaginative, an art that remains enigmatic to us and yet has the power to move us to vertigo. This art is so ancient that we can barely comprehend it; eighteen hundred human generations separate us from it. This art, for lack of a better term, is called prehistoric art. However, we have the intuition that naming it thus is inadequate […]

Christopher Yggdre

Axis Mundi - Solo show 7 septembre 2023 - 7 octobre 2023
Sculpture - Hermine Bourdin

“Je cherche à saisir l’essence formelle et symbolique du féminin.”

“I seek to grasp the formal and symbolic essence of femininity”

“Dans cette exposition, je rends hommage à Marija Gimbutas en intégrant ses idées dans mes créations artistiques.

La dévotion de Marija Gimbutas à la découverte des trésors de notre passé, en particulier son exploration des sociétés matrifocales et du culte des déesses, a profondément résonné en moi. Ses découvertes m’ont encouragé à plonger dans la symbolique, la spiritualité et les subtilités culturelles de ces civilisations anciennes.

À travers une collection de dessins, de sculptures, de performances et d’œuvres multimédias, je vise à capturer l’essence de sa recherche et son impact durable sur notre compréhension contemporaine de l’histoire, des dynamiques de genre et de la spiritualité.”

“In this exhibition, I pay tribute to Marija Gimbutas by weaving her insights into my artistic creations.

Marija Gimbutas’ dedication to unearthing the treasures of our past, particularly her exploration of matrifocal societies and goddess worship, has resonated with me on a profound level. Her findings encouraged me to delve into the symbolism, spirituality, and cultural intricacies of these early civilizations.

Through a collection of drawings, sculptures, performance and mixed-media works, I aim to capture the essence of her research and its enduring impact on our contemporary understanding of history, gender dynamics, and spirituality.”

Sculpture - Hermine Bourdin

Stay updated with Hermine’s latest creations by sharing your email address.

Subscription Form

This circle represents life, continuity. It illustrates the creative role of women. For me, every woman is a creator of life.

La femme bleue

Leia Sfez + Hermine Bourdin

La femme bleue

Leia Sfez + Hermine Bourdin

The Paris-based entrepreneur and model Leia Sfez and artist Hermine Bourdin are excited to present ‘La Femme Bleue’, a limited series of unique sculptures intended as a paean to female strength and creativity. Realised in Bourdin’s signature voluptuous form, the artworks are rendered in coated sandstone of vivid cobalt-blue colour.