27 Pictures from the Hermes Wanderland Exhibition, Dubai

I love traveling because it makes me stumble upon new experiences almost everyday.

WANDERLAND-AN HERMES EXHIBITION makes a lovely spectacle. When I am traveling, I prefer to call myself wanderlust and this exhibition aptly captured my present state of mind. This digitally savvy, three dimensional display of the best from the collections of Emile-Maurice Hermès, the grandson of the founder, Thierry Hermès left me with many emotions. I was intrigued, I was delighted, I was charmed, I was lost and by the end of it I was asking for more.

Hermes -The leather house from Paris, Wanderland, Dubai — **Hermes -The leather house from Paris**

Wanderland – I had no clue that this was an internationally acclaimed exhibition already showcased at the Saatchi Gallery, London and Port de Solferino, on the banks of the river Seine, Paris. As per the curator, Mr. Bruno Gaudichon, the exhibition embodies two concepts that are associated with a flaneur- the notion of dreams and the inquisitive impulse. The weird and wonderful are its companion. Flanerie is a wonderfully liberating art of urban wandering. This exhibition aims to make us flaneurs, to wander and wonder in the time that is not lost but is rediscovered here with 30,000 hand-picked items, taken from the private museum of Emile-Maurice Hermès. Here, in this blogpost I take you through a lovely photo walk.

Hermes 'floating' exhibition near Dubai Fountain — **Lets unearth the unusual in the mundane at the Wanderland**

Why I landed at Dubai Mall on the very first day?

After spending a month in Dubai last year, I am back again. I landed here on 1st of Feb and it being the last day of the much celebrated Dubai Shopping Festival, I immediately rushed to Dubai Mall to catch up on the part sales. Of course, I realized too soon that I was late for this season but I wasn’t disappointed. I did pick a few bags from my favorite brands before I decided to walk to my favorite part of the mall, Burj lake and Dubai fountain. Last that I had heard about this area was the fire in the swanky hotel ‘The Address’ on the new year eve. In my last visit, I had stood there and admired it for its beauty and design. The building stood as graceful as ever just that its affected parts were covered for now. There is no denying the fact that I always get awe-struck by the highest man-made structures of the world-Burj Khalifa. In simple words, I love the fact that it exists and its there. For most of the times, its tough to walk away from it but when the dancing fountain swirls to the tunes of music in the evening, it distracts and diverts all attention to itself. The famous Dubai fountain never fails to soothe the eyes and the soul. When I was done with the two, I decided to my way back to the metro link (yes, I have a NOL card and I use the metro for most of my travels in Dubai).

Wanderland, Hermes Exhibition, Dubai — **Burj Lake- The Wanderland Exhibition is floating on the left!**

The moment I turned around to return, I met a young girl who asked me if I had had a chance to check out the Wanderland Exhibition. I looked at her curiously and she pointed out to the wall art. I was quick to ask her, ‘How do get inside?’ She quickly handed over the invite and said ‘Take this, head right there where is a red carpet waiting for you. Enjoy!’

The first room says- Be a flâneur.

Flâneur is a french word which means a stroller, a man who saunters around observing society.

flâneur flaˈnəː,French flanœʀ/ noun a man who saunters around observing society. — **Be a flaner**

The second room says ‘Take your walking stick’!

Walking Sticks, Hermes, Paris, Leather — **Lets do an imaginative walk through the city streets.**

The cane said to me, come lets walk into the dream world of joy and fantasy.

Walking Stick, Wanderland — **This is from the room that had walls covered in images of walking canes– French fashion house Hermès Exhibition**

Wanderland, Dream freely — **Wanderland inspires to wander and dream freely as the quotes on the wall remind to ‘Stroll on’**

The Wardrobe has a deep meaning (copied from the booklet that I picked at the exhibition)

A man and woman,

a dressing room, split down the middle,

She, a bag obsessive,

he’s a sport fanatic with a dandy spirit,

Night and Day, two sides of a flâneur.

Hermes, Wanderland — **The Giant Wooden Wardrobe– For once, I thought it was a beautiful white cupboard but soon I realized it was also the door that led into the next room. I felt I was in a magical world.**

Room 4- The world where everything was upside down.

Hermes Exhibition-Wanderland — **The room was totally inspired by Parisian street. I loved the inverted lamps posts.**

This one reminded me of the importance of time.

And next, I walked into a cafe. It was no ordinary cafe but one that had all forgotten objects. The souvenirs that the flaneries discover and collect on their way .

This room spoke of the free artists who had the freedom of expression and they used art to express themselves. I loved this colorful room.

Hermes, Paris, Leather , Dubai, Exhibition — **This room captured the everyday details of our colorful life**

**The theme of the exhibit is flânerie-dreaming and freedom of spirit**

Did you know there is a secret world behind the windows?

Wanderland, Dubai — **Every room has so much to intrigue me**

All that vintage and defines luxury is here! Look beyond the window.

Beautiful play of lights and visual effects. This door leads into the passage that has the exquisite collections.

The horse says HERMES it is, we know that. I am nostalgic around Paris by this time.

Have you seen an elephant in a china shop?

And last we head out!!!

Wow, this was a beautiful journey. In those twenty minutes that I spent inside, I was transported to a different world. Everything seemed like a dream or was it an illusion but it was amazing. The traveler in me was inspired to look beyond the usual and be like a flaneur.

Happy Traveling!!