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Ruinart supports the moderate consumption of wine and spirits through Moët Hennessy, a member of Wine in Moderation.
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY
Ruinart supports the moderate consumption of wine and spirits through Moët Hennessy, a member of Wine in Moderation.
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY
THE INSTALLATION
With Chorals, Julian Charrière creates a dialogue between the geological memory of the Crayères and today’s oceans, weakened by human activity.
In the intimacy of one of Maison Ruinart’s chalk cellars, the artist has designed an immersive installation combining sound, light, and water. A dark pool reflects the chalk walls; its surface is set in motion by a wave machine synchronized with underwater sounds recorded during dives in different ecosystems. The rustling of reefs, clicking shellfish, and cries of marine life revive this ancient seabed, a remnant of the warm sea that once covered Champagne.
Through this multi-sensorial installation, Julian Charrière immerses us in a submerged world, where the silent strata preserve millions of years of evolution. By making these fossil sediments vibrate to the rhythm of a fragile ocean, Chorals raises questions about the acceleration of environmental change. Where nature took millennia to form chalk, humanity is disrupting these balances in just a few decades.
LISTEN TO THE CHALK, HEAR THE OCEANS
Echoing the geological memory of the Crayères, Julian Charrière extends his reflection on the connections between nature, history, and transformation. The chalk, omnipresent in Maison Ruinart’s cellars, was formed from the sediment of a vanished ocean. A symbol of slow, almost immobile time, it becomes the mirror of a living world now in constant acceleration.
The installation sets this buried past against contemporary reality: the acidification of today’s oceans, caused by excess CO₂, which undermines marine balance. Where nature took millennia to shape strata, human activity is transforming ecosystems in just a few decades.
By taking place within the Crayères, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Chorals underlines the Maison’s commitment to preserving this natural and cultural heritage, while fostering an ecological awareness oriented towards the future.
AN EXPLORATION OF CHANGING WORLDS
Born in 1987, Julian Charrière is a Franco-Swiss artist based in Berlin. A graduate of the Institute for Spatial Experiments founded by Olafur Eliasson, he develops a conceptual practice that combines photography, installation, video, and performance.
His creations often emerge from expeditions to extreme territories — coral reefs, glaciers, volcanoes, radioactive zones — where he observes the transformations of our planet through an approach that is both creative and scientific. In doing so, he questions the narratives humanity constructs around life and time.
Exhibited in numerous international institutions (Centre Pompidou, SFMOMA, Venice Biennale…), his work highlights the tension between geological memory and contemporary upheavals. With Ruinart, he shares a vision in which art and nature engage in dialogue to raise awareness.
1729 - 2029
Maison Ruinart will celebrate its 300th anniversary in 2029, a milestone marked by artistic commissions in Champagne.
From its first artistic collaboration with Alphonse Mucha in 1896 to today’s engagement with emerging artists, the oldest champagne house has always nurtured a strong connection with contemporary creation.
Between now and 2029, ten commissions will be unveiled at the heart of its historic terroir. They will enrich its symbolic heritage by creating a dialogue between creation, nature, and technology.
In the heart of the crayères, the artists duo Mouawad Laurier has created a visual and sound experience.
Argentine artist Tomás Saraceno illustrates the impact of climate change on the vine through the flight of an Aerocene.
In September 2029, Ruinart will be celebrating its 300th anniversary. Each year from now on, Ruinart will commission a new artistic or architectural project in Reims.
