Tilda Swinton read original poetry and Alexander Ekman hit the dance floor to fete Dom Pérignon’s new creative chapter

Friday evening, actors and musicians, artists and It girls descended on the Tate Modern in London for a decadent evening of art, music and, most of all, champagne. Feting the launch of Dom Pérignon’s new creative chapter, Creation is an Eternal Journey, the event found glass upon glass of Dom Pérignon, served on gleaming silver platters by handsome waiters. Guests flitted around the extraordinary subterranean space, nibbling on Michelin-star-level dishes prepared by renowned chef Clare Smyth, whose menu was inspired by the champagne house’s latest vintage, Dom Pérignon Vintage 2008 – Plénitude 2.

To mark this thrilling new chapter for Dom Pérignon, a campaign starring seven of the globe’s most inspiring creators was unveiled earlier last week (the images, which have popped up across London and beyond, were on view as part of an exhibition installed for the occasion, celebrating the past, present and future of Dom Pérignon). In the arresting portraits, shot by Collier Schorr, we find the likes of Zoë Kravitz and Iggy Pop, Tilda Swinton and Anderson .Paak, all cradling the iconic Dom Pérignon bottle. Also among the collection of ambassadors, most of whom mixed and mingled at the Tate Modern yesterday evening, Swedish dancer and choreographer Alexander Ekman.

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For Ekman, Dom Pérignon and his artistic practise were appropriate bedfellows. “Champagne is just festive, right? And it’s artistic somehow and chic. It’s a good vibe,” says Ekman. The only Nordic talent in the mix, he figures he was tapped for the prestigious campaign because he’s, in his words, “big in France” (his assumption is right, later on, Dom Pérignon Managing Director Jacques Giraco will confirm that Ekman is indeed extremely renowned in the Champagne’s native country, most notably for choreographing the opening of the Paralympic Games in Paris last year).

In both the still images and the accompanying video campaign, directed by Camille Summers-Valli, Ekman’s artistry is on full display as he dances through the frame. “It was a really fun day, actually,” says Ekman of the shoot, noting that he and Summers-Valli clicked instantly. “We were just playing.” He also notes that when it comes to opening up creatively, a little champagne doesn’t hurt. “When you have two glasses, your frontal lobe relaxes and it can actually be good in the creative process,” he says. “In that sense, for my work, it’s nice.”

Dom Pérignon Chef de Cave Vincent Chaperon, who himself appears in the campaign, echoes Ekman’s sentiment. “It was just a joy,” he says of the shoot day. “People were happy to be there, they were themselves.” Both he and Giraco agree that the spontaneous highlight of the shoot was when Iggy Pop, in his signature growl, noted that creativity is “big love”.

But the real fun came the other night, where Ekman well and truly took over the dance floor. Does he feel extra pressure to perform at a party given that he’s a professional? “No, I just feel really confident,” he says with a grin. For him, both the campaign and the party offered a unique opportunity to connect with creatives who, like him, are at the top of their game. “And, I mean, I love champagne, I love art, I love a party – it’s a good thing,” He adds.

While Ekman and the other talents featured in the campaign work across several fields, there is a red thread that runs through the group. “A trait that they have in common is they’re masters of their art – they’re real artists,” says Giraco, noting that all of the talents freed their time to participate in the campaign, staying on set well past their agreed upon wrap time. “They are people who are seeking something in their art. They are on a quest of creation.”

This is hardly the first time singular cultural icons – artists, especially – have engaged in the enduring legacy of Dom Pérignon (in fact, previous artistic moments are covered in the "past" section of the exhibition). In 1974 the Dom Pérignon Vintage 1968 was immortalised by a polaroid snapped by Robert Mapplethorpe. Andy Warhol, meanwhile famously boasted about scooping up 2000 bottles of Dom Pérignon with the intention of popping them when the clock struck midnight on the year 2000. Marilyn Monroe, meanwhile, was known to request a bottle on set during photoshoots.

It was only natural to tap a couple of the iconic creatives featured in the campaign to provide the evening’s entertainment. Tilda Swinton, looking characteristically striking in a royal blue gown, read a moving poem she penned for the occasion – a call to action to live life to its fullest (or, as she called it, “Notes for radical living”). To cap things off, Anderson .Paak, in his signature wig, hopped on the decks to spin a set that had guests dancing past the stroke of midnight (Unsurprisingly, Ekman absolutely tore up the dance floor). It was a true showcase of creativity and one of those magical evenings that pairs perfectly with the heady euphoria of a glass (or two) of Dom Pérignon.

Ekman, meanwhile, suggests another ideal situation in which to enjoy a glass of Dom Pérignon. “In a bathtub, with your lover, with candles,” he says. “But also at a great party like the other night’s, with you have good music and beautiful people – what’s not to like?”

See all the images below.