HENNESSY X REFIK ANADOL

FEATURE STORY
ARTIST
COLLABORATION
DESIGN
STORIES

The Hennessy V.S.O.P blend is the expression of eight generations of Master Blenders know-how. To perpetuate the legacy of the original Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège, Hennessy Master Blenders have constantly sought to create a completely harmonious blend: it is the definitive expression of a perfectly balanced cognac. Based on a selection of firmly structured eaux-de-vie, aged largely in partially used barrels in order to take on subtle levels of oak tannins, this highly characterful cognac reveals balanced aromas of fresh vanilla, cinnamon and toasty notes, all coming together with a seamless perfection.

FEATURE STORY

HENNESSY x REFIK ANADOL

Hennessy teams up with the internationally acclaimed artist and director Refik Anadol to explore the inspiration behind Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège.

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ARTIST

A media artist

Refik Anadol is a media artist, director and pioneer in the aesthetics of data and machine intelligence. His body of work centers creativity at the intersection of humans and machines. Capturing the data that flows around us and interpreting it through a neural network, Anadol paints with a thinking brush, offering us radical visualizations of our digitized memories. Anadol’s site-specific AI data sculptures, live audio/visual performances, and immersive installations encourage us to rethink our interaction with the physical world, its temporal and spatial dimensions, and the creative potential of machines.

His philosophy

"For me, data is a memory, and memory is heritage. And I’m trying to find these collective memories for humanity which would represent heritage for humanity. So, I think there’s a common respect we have for heritage when thinking about and producing experiences. The other thing is caring about the uniqueness, and craftsmanship - that’s something I respect a lot," said Refik Anadol.

His inspiration

"My initial inspiration to collaborate with Hennessy came from the people Hennessy had previously collaborated with, including Frank Gehry and Ridley Scott. Hennessy cares about the values of creation, the values of imagination, but also how to preserve uniqueness and freshness. This heritage (and that keyword is my true inspiration), and the people that Hennessy collaborates with who are also my heroes, as well as the opportunity to imagine something that resides in the same space were all things that I factored in," said Refik Anadol.

COLLABORATION

REFIK ANADOL IN COGNAC

"When I went to the Château de Bagnolet, I was convinced I could create something fresh because the place is about memories and dreams. Then, when I saw the cellars, and experienced the smell… I don’t know exactly how to describe that feeling. In the world of technology you never feel Time. But when you go back to the history, it hits you: it’s just human inspiration." Refik Anadol's visit marked the first time in the Maison’s history that an artist was allowed to capture that time-honored ritual real-time via neuroscientific research methods, and to use the collected data in collaboration with machine intelligence to create an unprecedented work of art.

THE ARTWORK

Using 3D data mapping, Refik Anadol interpreted the Tasting Committee’s emotions into the color, shapes, reliefs and textures that appear on the 2021 Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège Limited Edition. What was once an invisible sensory experience has become tangible: the power of balance appears in a harmonious and poetic design. Data becomes art in a visual metaphor for a blend; like the cognac itself, Sense of Heritage, the artwork, is designed to be appreciated on an individual, sensorial level.