Project Presentation
CRYSTAL MATRIX presents a selection of 15 crystals with light and sound. The 15 modules are arranged in a 5 by 3 grid in the center of the Wunderkammer and are spaced 50 cm apart.
Each module displays one or more crystals, depending on their size, on a rotating disk suspended from the ceiling at a height of one meter. High-brightness, multicolor LEDs floating 70 cm above the modules illuminate the crystals.
The purity and precise geometry of Swarovski crystals are a natural fit to the aesthetic of my art. The installation Crystal Matrix is a tightly woven composition of light, sound and crystals placed on rotating disks enticing the viewers to enjoy the sensuality of abstract thought.
The 12 minute color and sound sequence creates a sensual synaesthetic spectacle for the visitor of the Chamber of Wonder.
Swarovski Press Information
Inspired by Swarovski Crystal Worlds and its Chamber of Wonder concept, SWAROVSKI INNSBRUCK has a small wonder of its own: CRYSTAL MATRIX by Erwin Redl. Born in Austria, Redl lives in the U.S. and constantly places the virtually endless transformation potential of light at the center of his artistic creations, in combination with a new definition of spatial concepts in the age of digital media. CRYSTAL MATRIX, which marks Redl’s debut at Swarovski, plays on multisensory effects and questions how a crystal sounds, or which light effects make a sound. Crystals appear to levitate in the room, and to radiate not just light but also musical tones. The senses of sound, sight, and touch come together in the Chamber of Wonder to create a multisensory experience. Without distracting optical influences, eyes and ears alone are able to concentrate on the magic of crystal. Action and interaction play an additional and important role in Erwin Redl’s Chamber of Wonder: the observer becomes the participant, the visitors around you become teammates, so that within the three-dimensional realm of experience, a social relationship structure is created. It is against this backdrop that the crystal in the installation becomes a living, breathing organism that reflects all the colors of the rainbow thanks to Swarovski’s color know-how.
Erwin Redl was born in 1963 in Gföhl, Austria. In 1993, after finishing his studies at the Vienna Music Academy with a BA in Composition (1990) and BA in Electronic Music (1991), he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for graduate studies in computer art at School of Visual Arts, New York, NY (MFA 1995). The artist lived in New York from 1993-2007 and moved to rural Ohio in 2007.
Erwin Redl investigates the process of “reverse engineering” by (re-)translating the abstract aesthetic language of virtual reality and 3 D computer modeling back into architectural environments by means of large scale light installations. In this body of work, space is experienced as a second skin, our social skin, which is transformed through the artistic intervention. Due to the very nature of its architectural dimension, participating by simply being “present” is an integral part of the installations. Visual perception works in conjunction with corporeal motion, and the subsequent passage of time.
The artist’s work was featured in the 2002 Whitney Biennial, covering the Whitney Museum’s facade with a three multi-color LED veils. In 2008 Erwin Redl created a sound and light installation for the Austrian Pavilion at the World Expo in Zaragoza, Spain. The Pacific Design Center’s new Red Building by Cesar Pelli will feature four permanent installations by the artist to be completed in 2011. Erwin Redl’s largest work to date is a computer-controlled 580 ft long outdoor LED-installation at the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, OH completed in November 2010.
His work is represented in major national and international collections, among them the Whitney Museum of American Art New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and the Milwaukee Art Museum collection.
