ON CLOUD NINE
Artists Andy Cao and Xavier Perrot brought signature Swarovski sparkle to Vietnam with their latest installation, Traveling Crystal Clouds. Familiar to those who have visited Crystal Worlds in Wattens, Austria the haze of shimmering structures on display at Doi Mam Xoi are an extension of Crystal Cloud, a monumental outdoor installation at the Swarovski HQ showcasing sparkling crystal “floating” over bodies of water beneath.
As a native Vietnamese, Andy Cao has visualized duplicating this striking project in his home country and a chance encounter with architect Pham Duong set his plans in motion. Cao and Perrot collaborated closely with Duong and the local community in La Pan Tan Muto, or the “valley of a thousand steps,” to create hand-sculpted crystal-filled clouds that would sit atop the paddy fields, continuing the ancient tradition of sculpting the land and highlighting the beauty of all things handmade.
Nearly 60,000 Swarovski crystals flooded clusters of wire mesh, creating the clouds that would sit perched atop a forest of galvanized steel posts. The installation was displayed in May during Mùa Nước Đỗ, marking a time when the rice paddies are irrigated, leaving rows and rows of ponds available to reflect the crystals’ twinkling lights from above.
For Cao and Perrot, “the ultimate luxury is to be immersed in the presence of light and silence.” It’s thanks to their vision that so many more people could enjoy such a magnificent moment.
Traveling Crystal Clouds acted as an ephemeral public artwork on exhibit from May 19 to May 31st, 2018.
