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It’s hard to believe that the world famous luxury
brand that is Hennessy started out in a small village six miles east of Mallow. Killavullen, County Cork is where Richard Hennessy was born 300 years ago and after a spell in the British army, the military officer travelled to France where he became an officer in the Irish Brigade of the French army. He retired and eventually settled down in the Cognac region, where he began investing in its local alcoholic produce. So began Maison Hennessy, distilling and exporting brandies, first to Britain and his native Ireland, closely followed by the United States. In 1813 Richard Hennessy’s son James Hennessy was responsible for choosing Jean Fillioux as the house’s Master Blender. A member of the Fillioux family has occupied the role ever since, a business relationship that has lasted eight generations and more than 250 years. It’s a pivotal position in the Hennessy empire and with the 300th anniversary approaching, the brand wanted to salute this with a signature piece of art. In keeping with Hennessy’s continued support of avant-garde art and local partnerships across street fashion, art and music with the likes of Emporium, Dublin Block Party, the Future of Irish Music and Ireland’s rap duo Travis & Elzzz, they asked two of Ireland’s most dynamic contemporary creatives, Maser and Conor Harrington, to fashion their own blend of visual narrative for the celebratory bottle. Maser’s work is well known to all Dubliners and beyond but Harrington less so. The Cork native began painting graffiti as a teenager and has since gone on to paint large-scale murals around the world in locations such as London, Paris, New York, Miami, São Paulo and Mexico City. Now working exclusively in oils, Harrington’s large-scale paintings take reference from classical art, and are rooted in graffiti, examining themes such as masculinity, colonialism within its narratives. His work can be found in the collections of Anita Zabludowicz, Damien Hirst’s Murderme Collection as well as notable celebrities like Alicia Keys and Sir Elton John. It’s a big honour for the two artists so I asked them about the approach, the process, the outcome and if working on a project like this fell within their aesthetic comfortably. On The Waterfront at The Complex. WORDS John Brereton PHOTOS ??? How did the brand approach you initially? Conor: I got a DM and was baffled. I had to do some Googling just to make sure it was genuine but I was surprised to be honest. This is my first brand collaboration but I sensed it was a special one so I was open to it. Hennessy has a long tradition of working 49