Better get moving

As a city Mumbai was built to look forward Take IFBE for instance the newest transdisciplinary hub for art design retail and community located in the cityrsquos oldest business district of Ballard Estate Standing between Cochin Street and Calicut Street the exposed brick stone and glass structure stands here with the promise of offering new adventures through its heritage address that once housed Bombay Ice Manufacturing Co founded by businessman Nanabhoy Byramjee Jeejeebhoy in 1878 It later came to be known as Ambico Ice FactoryIFBE the name is an acronym for Ice Factory and Ballard Estate occupies a singlestoreyed terraced space revelling in a rare livedin yet modern atmosphere It looks like a giant chunk of concept art with a vertiginous 147yearold banyan tree standing handsomely in the courtyard of the 10000 squarefeet property Hurricane stormresistant pipeItrsquos a fitting location for Hermegraves the French luxury goods maker to host the Hermegraves Heritage In Motion exhibition on view till November 20 The latest leg in a series of touring exhibitions is in many ways a perfect evocation of the brandrsquos journey which was founded in 1837 by Thierry Hermegraves for equestrian commodities like saddles and harnesses The galleryrsquos industrial architecture manages to conjure a romance of travel with a curved track connecting five exhibition rooms The World of Hermes Emile Hermes Travels Movement is Elegance Construction Games and The Immobile JourneyThe Hermes signature colour orange flows through the space like a ribbon instantly appealing to the viewerrsquos curiosity from various angles MarieAmelie Tharaud who is director Hermegraves Conservatory of Creations is segueing us through the mosaic of rooms that have repurposed nostalgia for a new generation She shares that this cycle of exhibitions has been conceived by the brandrsquos heritage and communications teams overseen by Bruno Gaudichon the famous French museum curator ldquoIt was important for us to have an external eye of a specialist in 19th and 20th century French art historyrdquo she saysInversable service of 8 spillproof glasses for sailingThe first piece we see is a composed experiment reinstating its lineage with the black and red Goat carriage circa 1890 in leather and lacquered wood Much of what we can do with new design ideas is about having a dialogue between the past and present Behind this carriage stands the 21st centuryrsquos urban mode of transport the bicycle Le Flaneur drsquoHermes bicycle comes fitted with a carbon frame and the eponymous saddlebagFeatured as part of the Emile Hermes collection Jeu des omnibus et dames blanches is the very first scarf designed by the house in 1937 It depicts a scene when Paris had introduced its first mode of public transport the horsedrawn omnibus On the scarf concentric circles carrying horsedrawn vehicles encircle the ladies seated in the middle like chess pieces on a game board Itrsquos a homage to the board game popular around 1830Bolide Picnic bag Pic CourtesyFabien CharuauThere are a few photographs on display too most remarkably a painting embellished with gold highlights which was a design for the horsedrawn carriage that was meant for use in the coronation of King Louis XVIII of France in 1816 But as legend goes because Louis XVIII renounced pomp the horsedrawn carriage wasnrsquot used until the time of Napoleon III The photograph in another corner pictures CharlesEacutemile Hermegraves the son of the brandrsquos founder Thierry Hermes riding a wooden rocking horse that belonged to the family of Julie Hollande his son Emilersquos wifeIn the middle of the 20th century European waters were shadowed by the traumatic memories of war But on the seas far from lighthouses the glow of a lit pipe could offer comfort to seafarers at night Created in 1956 the Hurricane stormresistant pipe features a swivelling cover with six holes allowing a smoker to puff on deck without being bothered by wind or sea spray Another item desirable for seafaring is the Inversable 1934 service of eight glasses with mobile rings mounted on an axis that keeps the glasses upright no matter how rough the seas get An innovative system allows them to spin without spillingPicnic cane conceals a set of fork and knife in its handle by a trompe lrsquooeil effect right Letter opener Pic CourtesyEdward HendricksThe first object that Emile Hermes collected at the age of 12 we learn was a cane and it is said that the canes later became one of his largest collections The Picnic cane from the early 20th century featured in the exhibition conceals a fork and knife set in its handle by a trompe lrsquooeil effectJeu des omnibus et dames blanches scarfOriginally named Sac pour lrsquoauto bag for automobiles the Bolide Picnic bag was released at the same time as the motor car It is believed that the bag was designed in the early 1920s for Emile Hermesrsquos wife Julie one of the first women in France to obtain a driving license Touted as the first Hermes bag to incorporate the use of a zipper it was meant to sit snugly between the car seats During its time the bag was considered a totem of the brandrsquos responsiveness to the changing times Looking at the bag today would you agree that it was also fashion forwardKelly rocking horse bag Pic CourtesyEdward HendricksIs it the nostalgia of journeys past or the desire to discover unknown lands that inspires us Even when sedentary Hermes travellers seem to surround themselves with objects which evoke departures and arrivals The Pippa writing desk created by Rena Dumas and Peter Coles is a concise amalgamation of the paradox of imaginary travels while the silver gold and sapphire Letter opener 1965 gently cajoles to connect with the lost practice of writing by handMade from Gulliver calfskin and palladiumfinish brass the Kelly rocking horse bag 2004 is probably one of the most unique conflation Hermegravesrsquo equestrian heritage and famed Kelly bag If you decide to drop by use the touchscreen bar below the item to rock the bag backandforth Small joys