每年一月中旬，法国知名百货商场“Le Bon Marche”都会举办“白色一月”假日甩卖活动，专门出售白色的家居用品。空间中南精心展示了各种白色的商品，如白色亚麻织物、毛巾和餐具等，象征着新的一年新的开始。对于巴黎本地人来说，每年由不同的特约艺术家设计的“白色展览”是这个活动最大的看点。经过仔细的思考，nendo将展览的主题定为“雨滴和花朵”，深入挖掘并展现了特卖活动中“全新开始”这一主题。

On mid-January of every year, the iconic French department store “Le Bon Marche” holds its renowned “mois du blanc” holiday sale of white household goods. White merchandise such as linens, towels and dishes are specially displayed and sold to allow for a fresh and festive start for the year. Local Parisians look forward to the annual “white exhibition” created by a guest artist, spread across the different areas of the store. After making considerations for this exhibition, the theme of “droplets and flowers” was a developed, representing the sale’s spirit of “a fresh new start”.

雨滴带来的往往是负面印象，如沉重的雨水或悲伤的眼泪。与之相对，花朵通常是正面的象征，带来生机与欢乐。尽管这两个意象看上去截然相反，它们彼此之间却是相互依存，就如光离不开影。在设计中，这两个元素得到了平等的对待。

雨总是令人厌恶，提到它，人们会想到灰色的天空，潮湿的衣物，以及沾满鞋面的污泥。然而，雨对于地球万物来说是不可或缺的。在许多文化中，人们将雨水看作是来自上帝的礼物，并且出现了丰富多样的关于雨的比喻。在日本，雨如同风暴后的平静，让人与人之间的交流更加平和；在中国，人们相信龙是神的使者，它在带来雨水的同时带来好运。其他文化中也有对雨水的正面描述，如认为它重新填满了地球，甚至将它视为天使的眼泪。

Droplets might be perceived as negative, when thinking of heavy rain-drops or tears of sadness. Flowers, however, usually represent positive notions such as vitality and happiness. Although they seem as two opposite ideas, one cannot exist without the other, similarly to light and shadow. And so when developing the design, the two elements were treated equally.

Rain in general, can also be seen as a nuisance; it reminds people of grey skies, wet clothes, and sticky mud that covers their shoes. However, rain is vital for life on earth and in many cultures people regard rain as a gift from god. Metaphors addressing rain are abundant, and exist across cultures. In Japan, rain is perceived as being able to smoothen communication between people like the calm that follows a storm, and in China the mythical Rain Dragon is an admired creature believed to be an emissary of the gods that brings good luck. Other cultures also have very positive associations for rain, as an element that replenishes the earth, or even described as the tears of angels.

▼概念草图，concept sketch

nendo设计了四种不同的装置，向人们展示了只要轻微改变视角，生命中的负面元素就可以变成正面的意象。来Le Bon Marche参观的游客将会在这一启发性的体验中感受何为全新的开始。

The desire was to express through four different installations that negative elements in our lives can be viewed as positive only by slightly changing our perspectives, hoping that the customers that visit Le Bon Marche will have an illuminating experience for a fresh new beginning.

▼商场立面外观，external view of the department mall

窗

window

一滴雨水落下，逐渐变成一个花瓶，瓶中有一枝含苞待放的花。时间流逝，花朵凋零，花瓶倒下成一个水坑，花丛从中再度显现。这个简短的故事通过声光，展示在商场主入口的橱窗上。

A raindrop falls into a bottle and gradually blend together into a vase from which a flower starts to bloom. The flower will eventually wilt and the vase will collapse to form a water puddle, from which flowers  reemerge. It is a small story portrayed using light and sound in the ten display windows by the main entrance of Le Bon Marche.

▼橱窗展示水滴和花瓶装置，the installation of raindrop and vase showed in the windows