Continuing to expand its cultural universe, Jaeger-LeCoultre announces the latest instalment in its Made of Makers programme: a new collaboration with the ground-breaking British musician TØKIO M¥ERS.
Expanding the Dialogue Between Watchmaking and the Arts
Through a series of collaborations with artists, designers and craftsmen from disciplines outside watchmaking, Made of Makers explores and extends the dialogue that naturally exists between horology and art. The programme focuses on artists who share Jaeger-LeCoultre’s values of creativity, expertise and precision, with nature at its core, exploring new forms of artistic expression through different and often unexpected materials and media. Like the watchmakers of La Grande Maison, these artists and innovators have a deep respect for the past as their creative foundation and a springboard for their trailblazing work. To date, Made of Makers has embraced the worlds of contemporary art and gastronomy and, through the new collaboration with TØKIO M¥ERS, adds music to the portfolio.
A Rising International Star with a Unique Style
A pianist, multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer, TØKIO M¥ERS has become celebrated for his experimental approach to classical music. An artist of immense range and dynamic power, his highly original approach to creating and performing music has established him as one of the most exciting artists to emerge in recent years. A musical alchemist, TØKIO M¥ERS fuses the classics with cinematic, hip-hop, dance, ‘90s soul and other influences to create his own inimitable sound and shatter the boundaries between genres.
His approach to his work has close parallels with that of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s watchmakers: using tradition as his creative foundation, he harnesses the craft and discipline of his classical music training in order to take it in new directions. As with watchmaking at La Grande Maison, TØKIO M¥ERS’ work is highly sophisticated, and anchored in deep technical complexity. He designs and produces his own live performances, capturing the visual potential of music and pushing it to new limits with lighting and pyrotechnics. Visually spectacular and emotionally absorbing, his work is redefining what classical music can be.
“Music has never been static; it’s in constant evolution,” says TØKIO M¥ERS. “For me, it starts with mastery of the basics, then breaking free from the norms and composing my own story – constantly searching for the balance between the voices of the past and my own. Composing for Jaeger-LeCoultre was so natural for me because we’re looking for the same thing; there’s a common goal: to reinvent the classic and find what is universal and timeless.”
A New Composition inspired by the Spirit of the Manufacture
Under the aegis of Made of Makers, Jaeger-LeCoultre has commissioned TØKIO M¥ERS to compose a soundtrack exclusively for the Maison’s Golden Ratio Musical Show. The spectacular 10-minute sound-and-light show – projected onto a giant screen of falling water – tells the story of the Golden Ratio in four chapters, from its presence in nature, to the scientific examination of its mystical properties; and from its ubiquity in timeless architecture and art to its impact on contemporary design. TØKIO M¥ERS says that he wrote his new piece “with the explicit intention of amplifying the emotional impact of the digital projection” and describes the work as “a short symphony in four chapters, or movements, that takes the listener on a powerful journey”.
Like all Made of Makers artists, TØKIO M¥ERS has visited the Jaeger-LeCoultre Manufacture in the Vallée de Joux, absorbing the natural beauty of the surrounding landscape, and spending time with the watchmakers and artisans. “Being in Le Sentier, seeing first-hand how Jaeger-LeCoultre operates, experiencing the atmosphere in the Manufacture, seeing all the skills, hearing all of the different sounds, enjoying the calm surroundings of the Vallée de Joux – that gave me a lot of inspiration to draw on,” he says. “And the Golden Ratio theme gave me the idea of translating that mathematical formula of 1.618 [Phi] into a tempo of 161.8 beats per minute.”
A Shanghai Debut followed by a World Tour
TØKIO M¥ERS will give the first performance of his new composition at a private event hosted by Jaeger-LeCoultre during the Shanghai International Film Festival on June 9. The show will then travel to Los Angeles on June 22, London in September, followed by Dubai at the end of the year.
Conceived by Jaeger-LeCoultre as part of its wider mission to bring inspiring and original experiences of the world of watchmaking to audiences around the world, The Golden Ratio Musical Show is an opportunity to discover the story of the Reverso in entirely new ways. The show will be staged in the 1931 Cinema, a specially designed setting inspired by the world’s first Drive-In Cinema, which – like the Reverso – was created at the height of the Art Deco period. The 1931 Cinema follows the creation two years ago of the 1931 Café, which is a feature of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s major events and exhibitions around the world.
About Made of Makers
The Made of Makers programme brings together a community of artists, designers and craftsmen from a variety of disciplines outside watchmaking. Expanding the dialogue that exists between horology and art, the programme is founded on the core principles that have always defined La Grande Maison: creativity, expertise and precision. It focuses on passionate and experienced creators who share the Maison’s values and whose work explores new forms of expression through different and often unexpected materials and media. Each year, new works commissioned through the programme animate the exhibitions that Jaeger-LeCoultre stages around the world, amplifying the chosen theme and creating new opportunities for audiences to engage and to become part of the wider conversation about art, craft and design.
About TØKIO M¥ERS
Born in London with Jamaican heritage, TØKIO M¥ERS (real name Torville Jones) grew up in a family where, he says, “music, dancing and personal expression were very important”. When he was nine, his father gave him a second-hand electronic keyboard and, he says, he “became completely obsessed”. His talent was rewarded with a scholarship to the Royal College of Music. TØKIO M¥ERS’ big break came when he won the 2017 edition of Britain’s Got Talent and signed a recording contract with Simon Cowell at Syco Entertainment. He released his debut album Our Generation in 2018, reaching #4 in the Official UK Album charts and is certified GOLD, the first pianist to do so since the legendary Robert Miles. TØKIO M¥ERS has supported many artists including Kanye West, the late Amy Winehouse, Sting, John Legend, the soul-funk band Mr. Hudson & The Library and 2Cellos.
He won ‘Breakthrough Artist of the Year’ at the Classic BRIT Awards and produced the official anthem for the Commonwealth Games. TØKIO M¥ERS has performed sellout UK tours and international shows including a sellout show at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, and been invited by the Sheikh of Dubai to perform at the Official Opening of the Burj Al Arab. TØKIO M¥ERS was most recently invited to perform two Headline shows for FIFA at the Qatar World Cup late last year. His solo piano album is due for release later this year and his second electronic/cinematic album Our Generation II is due for release in early 2024.