Live from Milan: Swarovski Crystal Palace features installations by Paul Cocksedge, Front Design, Zaha Hadid, Studio Job, Piero Lissoni, Arne Quinze, Fredrikson Stallard, Marcus Tremonto, Marcel Wanders and Tokujin Yoshioka.

Above: Randomly Crystalline by Front

All photographs © Swarovski Crystal Palace Collection

The following information is from Swarovski:

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Milan, Italy - Swarovski, the world’s leading manufacturer of precision cut crystal unveiled a dramatic new concept at the Swarovski Crystal Palace exhibition at Via Savona 56, Zona Tortona, Milan.

Above and below: Cupola by Piero Lissoni

Swarovski invited world leading designers to conceive an atmosphere experimenting with the unique medium of crystal. The challenge - to push the boundaries of crystal and create contemporary interpretations of lighting, furniture and design. Their inspirations are derived from varied sources including the natural world, the visual arts and high technology. The results are dramatic, captivating, and give new meaning to lighting and design.

Additionally, this year’s exhibition included a collection of Swarovski Crystal Palace chandeliers available to buy such as Ball by Tom Dixon, Lolita by Ron Arad and Blossom by Tord Boontje.

THE SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL PALACE COLLECTION 2008:

VEIL by PAUL COCKSEDGE (below)

'Veil' by Paul Cocksedge Studio is a four metre high curtain made of 1,440 Swarovski crystals. It creates an incredible visual illusion; when viewed through a mirror, the shimmering curtain reveals its hidden secret: an iconic image set within the canvas of crystals, and when the viewer looks back at the curtain, the image disappears. Cocksedge sees this first edition of 'Veil' for Swarovski Crystal Palace as a romantic illusion.

RANDOMLY CRYSTALLINE by FRONT (second image)

Front Design experimented with Swarovski crystal and hand blown glass to create a series of visually innovative vases and lights, of which no two are the same.

RÉ by ZAHA HADID (top image and above)

Zaha Hadid’s design pushes the boundaries and preconceived notions of the chandelier, redefining the nature of the object. “From my first days in architecture at the Architectural Association, I have always been interested in the concept of fragmentation. For me the idea of fragmentation has also to do with the idea of dynamism, of a cosmic explosion of some kind. For this piece, each Swarovski crystal can be considered as an individual element that interrelates with, and responds to, every other crystal. Locked in a spiralling vortex, the crystals direction is determined by the forces of an explosion. As with our architecture, contextual embedding is always considered. The chandelier relates to - and interacts with - each new environment in a unique manner; constantly reinventing itself and offering exciting new possibilities with each installation.”

GLOBE by STUDIO JOB (above and below)

Studio Job has created a 175cm diameter spinning globe applying 500,000 Swarovski crystals. "Maybe it's the sense of time and gravity that touches us, maybe it is the earth that keeps turning and turning.”

CUPOLA by PIERO LISSONI (third and fourth image)

Piero Lissoni’s chandelier explores the illusion of depth with light and crystal - creating an impactful architectural sphere.

ELLIPSIS & FRAGMENTS by ARNE QUINZE (above and below)

Belgian designer, Arne Quinze, created “Ellipsis” a sculptural light, as well as Fragments, a space dividing sculpture that fuses the effects of material, colour and light. Staged together, they create a landscape of sculptural forms.

CAVERN COLLECTION by FREDRIKSON STALLARD (below)

Transcending convention, Fredrikson Stallard has created a collection of solid monolithic furniture forms in three different materials – concrete, wood and leather. Perforated by cavernous openings, the interior surfaces are encrusted with thousands of Swarovski crystals and lit from within to add volume and density to the sculptures.

DOUBLE SOLO by MARCUS TREMONTO (below)

Adding to his infamous and groundbreaking artistic interpretation, Marcus Tremento adds crystals to electro luminescent wire where he aims to mould the crystal like clay rather than restricting it to being a mere accent to the light source.

AQUA JEWELS by MARCEL WANDERS

Bisazza, the famous tile manufacturer teamed up with Swarovski to create a mosaic wall designed by Marcel Wanders. The wall is encrusted with specially designed Swarovski crystal tiles.

This mosaic wall is the backdrop wall for a shower room which contains three Shower Chandeliers.

ETERNAL by TOKUJIN YOSHIOKA (above and below)

"Eternal" is a series of acrylic blocks each containing a giant Swarovski Crystal demonstrating the juxtaposition of clear acrylic and clear Swarovski crystal. The installation presents "Eternal" as a floating star. The Eternal series is a limited edition of 41 pieces, representative of Yoshioka's age.