16/04/09 - Swarovski has commissioned acclaimed designer Arik Levy to create an exhibition of work inspired by, and created with the unique concept of crystal, to be showcased in Milan this April. Entitled Osmosis, Levy has created a series of installations that will illustrate the diversity of Swarovski crystal.

Osmosis is the movement from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration until the concentration on both sides is equal. Visual and emotional perception is transformed through a membrane, as we experience the transition from real to virtual, from solid to a metaphor.

The osmosis from the urban landscape into the environment of the installation opens up a journey into the micro versus macro expression of architecture, the ensuing architectural products, together revealing the techno-craft element of the work.

”In my own personal journey I travel between art and technology, design and engineering, reflection and light. Swarovski's masterly approach offers this alchemy, this magic as I search for the platform to experiment, explore and revile boundaries of stone cutting. At the same time it offers a semipermeable bridge to my other work. Moving from sculpture to space, through the environmental landscape and seeing the more tangible products, clarifies that this body of work mimics osmosis”, explains Levy.

“We are delighted to be working with Arik Levy this year. I admire his work as a designer and am excited by the new dimension that he will bring to Swarovski Crystal Palace,’ adds Nadja Swarovski. Swarovski Crystal Palace is a revolutionary project that has aimed to create signature interpretations of light and design using the emotive medium of cut crystal.

Whilst celebrating and reinterpreting the rich traditions of the chandelier, Swarovski Crystal Palace has broken barriers, played with the rules and opened a new chapter in the history of lighting, art and design.

Now in its eighth year, Swarovski Crystal Palace has worked with some of the world’s foremost and collectable designers including Zaha Hadid, Yvés Behar, Studio Job, Ross Lovegrove, Tom Dixon, Ron Arad, Tokujin Yoshioka and Fernando and Humberto Campana.

Designer, technician, artist, photographer, filmmaker, Arik Levy's skills are multi-disciplinary and his work can be seen in prestigious galleries and museums worldwide. Best known publicly for his furniture design for global companies, installations and limited editions, Levy nevertheless feels that "the world is about people, not tables and chairs."

Swarovski Crystal Palace ‘Osmosis’ by Arik Levy
from 21st to 27th April 2009
Ex Magazzini Di Porta Genova
Via Valenza 2, Milano