It’s impossible not to be mesmerised by Baccarat’s crystal masterpieces – from its opulent chandeliers to more avant-garde creations, the brand has a special way of bridging age-old artisanal techniques with contemporary designs. We speak to Arik Levy, one of Baccarat’s prized collaborators, on pushing the boundaries of crystal design with his Tuile de Cristal collection.
My task was to create a fresh typology and a new generation of chandeliers for Baccarat. And normally, chandeliers don’t give a lot of light, so I also wanted to address that, too.
It’s important to express the thinking behind the Tuile de Cristal collection. We thought of creating tiles – essentially, using just one element and working with the idea of multiplication. By creating this crystal tile and a special structure to hold it, this in turn created infinite possibilities for its design.
We don’t call clear crystal ‘transparent’ – we actually say ‘non-colour’. For me, non-colour is actually all colours, because the refraction of light through the prism creates a rainbow. This is what the eye sees.
The evolution of the collection is colouring and metallisation – bringing a second skin to the crystal itself. I would say the addition of tint to the material again expands the possibilities.
Participative design can mean placing the tiles in your own way to create a bespoke design. This time, I also wanted to offer a diversity of colour choice. Plus, the metallic finish enhances the amount of light it emits.
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