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Spaces within spaces: they are one of the architectural trademarks of the Swarovski Kristallwelten Store Wien. The art spaces illustrate the link between Vienna City Center’s popular shopping mile and Swarovski’s shimmering shopping worlds, but they are far more than a conceptual parallel: They are a platform for artists.
It is the extraordinary result of a creative collaboration between designer Tord Boontje and fashion designer Alexander McQueen: the Silent Light crystal tree has been enchanting visitors to Swarovski Kristallwelten in Tyrol for more than 15 years. At Swarovski Kristallwelten Store Wien, a snowy world of wonder is now spreading its wintery magic on Kärntner Straße.
Dutch designer Tord Boontje transforms the art space in Vienna into a snowy, fairy-tale landscape made from sparkling crystals and magical legendary creatures. At the center is the eponymous sparkling crystal tree “Silent Light,” the original was created in 2003 for the foyer of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Tord Boontje designs a fantastical winter fairy tale around the crystal tree, and with this installation creates a link to the newly designed “Silent Light” Chamber of Wonder in Swarovski Kristallwelten in Wattens, where, for the first time worldwide, you can experience real snowfall indoors all year round. Come and visit us in Wattens, Tyrol, following the motto: “Let’s go and play in the snow. All year long at Swarovski Crystal Worlds.”
“Silent Light” is on display at the Swarovski Kristallwelten Store Wien until March 2021.
>> More about designer Tord Boontje
Iris van Herpen takes her inspiration for the work called “Biomorphism” from living organisms and patterns found in nature. She forms them into hypnotic installations in which she demonstrates the performance of femininity. Originally from the world of fashion design, van Herpen’s installations for the Swarovski Kristallwelten Store Wien use a wide variety of media to express the basic themes of movement and transformation.
The installations are realized in collaboration with Rhea Thierstein.
"Infinity" und "Micro"
Those cubes show elaborately handmade Couture dresses in the typical style of the Dutch designer.
„Visualizing the invisible“
A larger-than-life glass sculpture of a ghostly female face was created in collaboration with the Tyrolean glass artist Bernd
Weinmayer.
„Cymatic“
Van Herpen enters unusual terrain in “Cymatic,” a kinetic photo installation that explores he flow – and the disruption – of a dancing body and a piece of clothing.
Spread over three floors of the store, there are installations of various artists and innovations made out of and using crystal.