eva jospin carves complex landscapes of ruinart's champagne region in layered cardboard

from reims to the high line

After the ‘Maison 1729’ event during NYCxDESIGN 2023, Ruinart brings Parisian artist Eva Jospin’s creations to Art Basel. Utilizing sustainable cardboard, Jospin’s artworks include drawings, embroidery, and sculptures to sculpturally render the complex landscape of the Champagne region, especially the Montagne de Reims site.

Maison Ruinart — one of the oldest champagne brands in the world — debuted the collaboration in Milan during miart 2023 with a VIP Lounge space dedicated to showcasing the complex, sculptural pieces made almost entirely of cardboard. At the opening of this latest ‘Promenade(s)’ exhibition on Tuesday, May 16th, designboom interviewed Jospin to learn more about her work and process. Hear her insights alongside details of the works in the video above!

Maison 1729 in New York is just steps from the High Line | © Ruinart, video © designboom

eva jospin learns from the landscape

The Montagne de Reims site is a complex, multi-layered region, both real and imaginary, that has been an inspiration for Eva Jospin. The artist‘s work explores the geological and temporal strata of the site, as well as its history and the expertise that has been passed down through generations of winemakers.

From the underground quarries, or crayères, to the roots and intertwining vines, from the coronation of French kings in Reims Cathedral to the granting of nobility titles to the Ruinart family by King Charles X, from the conversion of old gypsum quarries into cellars to the Maison’s wide-ranging commitment to biodiversity, Jospin has created a sculptural landscape that invites visitors to immerse themselves in the region’s rich history.

the artist at the exhibition’s opening this week at Ruinart Maison 1729 | © Ruinart

the cardboard sculptures of ‘promenade(s)’

The centerpiece of Eva Jospin’s Carte Blanche for Ruinart is a sculptural landscape that she has constructed almost entirely out of cardboard, her preferred medium. The installation is a collection of ‘chef d’œuvre,’ sculptures, drawings, and embroidery that revolve around a Carmontelle, an invention from the Age of Enlightenment that dates back to the eighteenth century, the same period in which the Maison Ruinart was established. The Carmontelle is a paper scroll stretched between two cylinders, with paintings that were sometimes backlit, depicting bucolic scenes with characters. The landscape unfolded as a small crank was turned.

inside the pop-up gallery and champagne lounge | © Ruinart

Eva Jospin has adapted this principle to create a panorama that blends time and space into the same perspective, evoking her discovery of the historical site and terroir of the Montagne de Reims. The Carmontelle reviews the different places which the artist visited, from the gypsum quarries to the Ruinart vineyard and the nearby forest. The juxtaposition of the various layers, from underground spaces to aerial worlds, from roots to sky, forms a design that echoes the motif of intertwining, evocative of grapevines, and creates a subconscious connection between different worlds.

‘The history, geography, but also the culture and know-how of this region make up its terroir. And that’s exactly what fascinated me,’ says Eva Jospin. ‘My proposal for the Carte Blanche takes the form of a walk in a sculptural environment which pays homage to this land and to all the gestures that make it come alive.’

For the Carte Blanche 2023, Eva Jospin has created ‘chefs-d’œuvre’ made of cardboard, a name that alludes to the enchanting works created by apprentices in their quest for the title of master. The series invites visitors to explore a miniature region. Developed on two levels, each of these sculptures juxtaposes representations of natural landscapes with architectural forms that evoke the underground depths of the crayères. Visitors can gaze along a small sculpted staircase whose steps resemble those that lead from Ruinart (4, rue des Crayères) down to the depths of the cellars where the bottles are left to age. The meticulous details that adorn the monumental facade are also found here.

‘Their verticality, which goes from cellars and chalk quarries to hills covered with vineyards, makes the landscapes of the Champagne region unique,’ continues Frédéric Dufour, President of Maison Ruinart, ‘This verticality has earned them the status of a Unesco World Heritage Site. Just these layers of the Champagne region are highlighted in Eva Jospin’s project for the Maison Ruinart.’

This collaboration between Ruinart and Eva Jospin is a testament to the Maison’s commitment to innovation and artistic expression. The Carte Blanche project invites visitors to explore the Maison Ruinart’s terroir and history in a new way, through the eyes of a talented artist. Jospin’s work creates a dialogue between precision and dream, and pays homage to the intelligence of the hand and the visionary spirit, both essential for the development of a great wine.