SHINING A LIGHT ON VIENNESE DESIGN
Swarovski collaborated with Austria’s largest design festival to celebrate a Viennese Modernist-inspired lighting fixture and award Klemens Schillinger the first-ever Swarovski Award for Excellence in Austrian Design.
Tord Boontje’s Swarovski Crystal Palace lighting installation, ‘Lustrous Aura,’ has illuminated the Kärntner Straße art space within Vienna’s Swarovski Kristallwelten Store since September. The chandelier’s shape echoes the dome of the Vienna Secession building and is comprised of smooth, unfaceted crystals – a new venture for Swarovski. Crafted to mimic the reflections of light on water, the crystals imbue a tranquil environment for visitors.
Atelier Swarovski held a strong presence with additional vases, candle holders and table décor from Tord Boontje, as well as architect Andre Kikoski and design icon Barbara Barry.
Product and furniture designer Klemens Schillinger accepted the first Swarovski Award for Excellence in Austrian Design at a gala award ceremony at Palais Coburg. The award includes a €5,000 prize and crystal trophy (shaped as a “V” for Vienna) designed by Atelier Swarovski collaborator Ron Arad.
Schillinger studied at the Royal College of Arts and worked in various London agencies before returning home to Vienna to open his own studio. The minimalist is lauded for his unexpected product solutions, each with a decidedly poetic charm.
Lilli Hollein, Director of Vienna Design Week, describes his aesthetic as, “A clear, reduced language that is packed with humorous comments and intelligent interventions.”
