In Tokyo, an Adventurous Steed Charges Forward in an Energetic Paper City by Zim&Zou

a paper installation window display featuring a purple and orange horse head leading a flying ship surrounded by clouds, suspended smaller ships, and a cityscape below

Image © Nacása & Partners Inc., courtesy of Hermès Japon. All images courtesy of Zim&Zou, shared with permission

An inventive and adventurous spirit courses through each one of Zim&Zou’s elaborate paper installations, the latest of which imagines a mighty horse leading a ship suspended from above.

Titled “Flying Faubourg,” the project was designed to fit the Hermès window in Tokyo’s Ginza Mitsukoshi. The artists (previously) melded the brand’s origins in equestrian goods with the Haussmannian architecture of the iconic storefront at 24 Faubourg Saint-Honoré, constructing tall windows and ornate iron balconies reminiscent of the Parisian streets. Shades of pink, purple, yellow, and orange recall a vivid sunrise, which illuminates Tokyo each day before traveling east toward Europe.

The machine at the center of the work is the largest and most detailed sculpture Zim&Zou have made to date, taking about four months to complete in the artists’ studio in Dordogne, France, before being shipped to Japan for final installation. Magnets hold each component together, while smaller vessels dangle from above and buildings populate the area below.

With the wind blowing its mane, the horse seems to charge forward, capturing that singular sense of curiosity and daring the artists are known for. “‘Frozen’ for the time of a window display, the ‘Flying Faubourg’ continues to boldly explore the wonders that the world and imagination have to offer,” they say.

Find more from Zim&Zou on Behance and Instagram.

a pink paper horse with an orange mane attached to an intricately constructed paper ship. a small man in a top hat peers out from the balcony with binoculars

Image © Nacása & Partners Inc., courtesy of Hermès Japon

a detail of a large paper ship built with Parisian architecture and a man in a top hat hanging from the side

Image © Nacása & Partners Inc., courtesy of Hermès Japon

a detail image of a man in a top hat hanging from a luxury hermes tag that's fastened to a large paper ship that appears to fly among pink, purple, and orange clouds

Image © Nacása & Partners Inc., courtesy of Hermès Japon

a work in progress shot on a green cutting mat of several tall paper buildings in orange, purple, pink, and red

Image © Zim & Zou

a behind the scenes shot of a massive horse head in purple and orange paper leading a flying ship with several small ships suspended from the ceiling above. a small city populates the area below on a bright blue backdrop in the artist's studio

Image © Zim & Zou

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