Crystal Frock
Date: 2002
Commissioned by: Swarovski, London
Type: One off
For centuries we’ve known the chandelier as one of those utterly rich elements in house-decoration. All this time its design has hardly changed, which makes the chandelier into the sugar-sweet and exuberant archetype of lamp-design.
The perfectly cut and polished crystal elements illustrate the industrial process at its best, and attracted Jongerius when she took on the assignment.
Her idea of quality is achieved by combining the skill, knowledge and engagement of manufacturers, designers and users into sustainable products. Ideally they turn out as ‘new antiques’, slowing-down circulation and consumption of products.
Jongerius has translated the chandelier into another powerful archetype often associated with it: the party dress. The upper-part of the chandelier is made of crystal-textile, frequently used by Swarovski in fashion designs. The lower part combines two materials: the almond-shaped crystal elements, randomly strung together to enliven their industrial character, with a dissolute and revolting amount of pink silicone lettering. Here, Jongerius publicly addresses the questions she asks herself – and which she seeks to answer in her designs, like:
Can industrial be affectionate?
Can crafts be contemporary?
and
Is copy-pasting the essence of design?
Can quality be made without affection?
JongeriusLab purposefully uses archetypical forms, transplants proven techniques, borrows unmistaken successes and puts old principles back on the agenda.
JongeriusLab does acknowledge the non-stop demand for the contemporary in the quest for beauty. Our reply is to ask the user to look at the object and to look beyond by re-addressing the obvious.