Swarovski at Belvedere

During the Vienna Design Week, Swarovski presented Prologue and Hurricane, two installations by London-based designers Fredrikson Stallard at the Belvedere Museum.

Prologue is a monumental, freestanding sculpture weighing 1.2 tons and holding over 8,000 amber-colored Swarovski crystal droplets within its 4 m diameter patinated steel frame. The luminous ring mimics the golden sun and its endless circle represents new beginnings, life and rebirth. “In Prologue we are exploring ways of playing with contrasts – a simple, round shape and the shimmering luminosity of precisely cut crystal creates an oversized lens that reflects the light with incredible intensity”, Fredrikson Stallard explain. 

The second installation, Hurricane, consists of two gold mirrors created from crushed, mirror-polished aluminum. The artists shaped the two pieces by hand so they would reflect light like Swarovski crystal and create picturesque reflections of their baroque surroundings. 

“Our idea is to turn the baroque setting of the Upper Belvedere into a place of encounter for Baroque and Modern art. Following previous exhibitions of works by Ai Weiwei, Olafur Eliasson, Jeff Koons, and Ernesto Neto, Fredrikson Stallard’s Prologue stands in vivid contrast to the grand staircase at the Upper Belvedere”, explains Agnes Husslein-Arco, director of the museum.

until 5 November 2016 – Prologue
until June 2017 – Hurricane
Fredrikson Stallard and Swarovski
Belvedere Museum
Prinz Eugen-Straße 27, Vienna