El Sol for Swarovski

Swarovski commissioned FR-EE in 2015 to create an installation that explores humankind’s relationship with the sun in a celebration of Swarovski’s 120th anniversary. Titled El Sol, the installation is a vast geodesic structure designed one billion times smaller than the sun and composed of 2,880 custom-made precision-cut Swarovski crystals.

El Sol is inspired by the sacred geometry used by the Aztecs and Mayans when constructing their pyramids, which were designed as a means to monitor celestial events. FR-EE’s Founder and Creative Director, Fernando Romero, endeavored to pay homage to this legacy while also employing modern technologies to create the structure. The project required over 350 hours of engineering work and 3 months of design and technical development at Swarovski’s headquarters in Wattens, Austria.

El Sol features a spherical punctuated structural matrix, with a smooth outer surface that is an intricate puzzle of four different types of specially developed precision-cut crystals, covered in Swarovski’s iconic Aurora Borealis coating. Faceted internally, the crystals augment the light emitted from the installation’s core. A spherical pool of LEDs whose light is refracted by the facets of the crystals evokes the sun’s dynamic surface.

Originally conceived for Design Miami/, the global forum for a design that coincides with Art Basel Miami, El Sol will now be permanently installed at Kristallwelten, one of Austria’s most popular attractions with over 13 million visitors since opening in 1995. Swarovski also commissioned FR-EE to design an El Sol product line, including jewelry, lighting, and home accessories. Before moving to its permanent home, El Sol was featured at FR-EE’s custom-designed Swarovski pavilion at the Zona Maco, Mexico City’s premier contemporary art fair, in February 2017.

YEAR

2015

STATUS

Built

LOCATION

Miami, Florida

 

CLIENT

Swarovski

 

TEAM

Fernando Romero, Sergio Rebelo, Ruoting Wang, Unai Artetxe, Daniela Gallo, Celia Julve, Lucas Velle.

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