Anyone who attended the Venice Architecture Biennale this year (or saw it on Instagram), might have been surprised at how blingy the entrance to the Arsenale’s Italy-focused Monditalia exhibition is — it just happens to be decked out in colored light bulbs and 33 pounds of Swarovski crystals arranged to resemble the portico’d facade of a Venetian palazzo. Subtle. Especially amid the surrounding renaissance ruins. “Without this kind of support exhibitions like this cannot exist,” Rem Koolhaas says of his sponsors in an exclusive video of the entrance’s construction. And Swarovski isn’t such a bad fit; the brand has a history of dipping its hands in all events design, blinging up everything from Design Miami to Salone del Mobile, even having commissioned jewelry, installation, and furniture by Zaha Hadid. Nadia Swarovski says she likes watching how “architects respond to the crystal.” Sparkles seem to be quite persuasive. Watch the video exclusively on Architizer below: Luminaire by Rem Koolhaas and OMA in collaboration with Swarovski, 14th International Architecture Exhibitona la Biennale di Ven from Architizer on Vimeo. Rem Koolhaas, as enthusiastic as he'll ever be © Gilbert McCarragher
Anyone who attended the Venice Architecture Biennale this year (or saw it on Instagram), might have been surprised at how blingy the entrance to the Arsenale’s Italy-focused Monditalia exhibition is — it just happens to be decked out in colored light bulbs and 33 pounds of Swarovski crystals arranged to resemble the portico’d facade of a Venetian palazzo. Subtle. Especially amid the surrounding renaissance ruins. “Without this kind of support exhibitions like this cannot exist,” Rem Koolhaas says of his sponsors in an exclusive video of the entrance’s construction. And Swarovski isn’t such a bad fit; the brand has a history of dipping its hands in all events design, blinging up everything from Design Miami to Salone del Mobile, even having commissioned jewelry, installation, and furniture by Zaha Hadid. Nadia Swarovski says she likes watching how “architects respond to the crystal.” Sparkles seem to be quite persuasive. Watch the video exclusively on Architizer below: Luminaire by Rem Koolhaas and OMA in collaboration with Swarovski, 14th International Architecture Exhibitona la Biennale di Ven from Architizer on Vimeo. Rem Koolhaas, as enthusiastic as he'll ever be © Gilbert McCarragher