For its third year as Official Partner of Art Central (March 21-25) in Hong Kong, Swarovski returns with “Sharevari” by Yuri Suzuki—one of the three winners of the 2016 Swarovski Designers of the Future Award, awarded in partnership with Design Miami/Basel. As part of his multifaceted commissions for the brand, the London-based Japanese sound artist presented his first commission for the brand last June, and has this time been welcomed to present “Sharevari” at the main entrance to the fair.
To explore crystal as an acoustic material, Suzuki created a mechanical “crystallophone.” The instrument is made up of 16 brass mechanical structures, with each one featuring a handmade crystal. When brass hammers hit the crystal, vibrations create a pleasant sound, further demonstrating a Swarovski crystal’s ability to become a thing of beauty for multiple senses. To help Suzuki better understand the origin of the material, he traveled to Wattens, Swarovski’s home base in Austria. There, he worked in collaboration with the brand’s engineers to calculate the harmonic frequencies and fine-tune the instrument through systematic acid-polishing and frequency testing.
Yuri Suzuki’s “Sharevari” for Swarovski during Art Central in Hong Kong. Courtesy of Swarovski.
Throughout the fair, visitors can hear Suzuki’s original compositions, as well as conduct their own songs through a network of sensors.
