Image Courtesy of Gaia&Gino
“SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS at Work” is a project which discovers new and surprising ways to use SWAROVSKI crystals in industrial design that will be commercially produced and retailed around the world. Within the context of this project, Gaia&Gino, Istanbul based award winning luxury interior accessories brand, has already created two collections which were presented during Salone del Mobile in April 2010 and at the NYC Swarovski showroom during ICFF in May 2010. The PUZZLE chinese puzzle/paper weight by Nendo, a product revealing the single Swarovski crystal hidden among the crystal cubes as the user explores playing with it which will be in the standard product range of GAIA&GINO and Yatzer's favorite EYE tabletop collection.
Image Courtesy of Gaia&Gino
A unique collaboration between GAIA&GINO, London-based designer Sebastian Bergne and Swarovski Elements. GAIA&GINO is the first company using the new “Crystal Rocks” product of SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS in the world. London-based designer Sebastian Bergne was inspired by a visit to the Iznik factories in Turkey and he turned to quartz ceramics for this project to introduce a range of bowls and vases. Bergne has, however, applied his usual rigor and created pared-down designs incorporating the “Nazar” charm that traditionally protects the owner from the evil eye or bad luck. In this collection, GAIA&GINO used Turkish heritages both in material and concept. The “Iznik quartz ceramics” –a material with a thousand year old tradition- is reinterpreted by Bergne in a very Turkish concept “evil eye” and universalized for the first time in a contemporary design object. “Iznik work and the Nazar symbol are really important in Turkish culture, so both struck a chord. The EYE collection will be produced in a “limited edition of 250 pieces” for large units and as a “limited edition of 300 pieces” for small ones, each numbered from 1-250/300.
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At this point we should mention that Mediterranean cultures and many others around the world believe in the concept of the "evil eye", a look that is superstitiously believed to be able to cause bad luck for the person at whom it is directed for reasons of envy or dislike. To avoid the evil eye, many people wear a "nazar" (Turkish: nazar boncuÄu or nazarlık), a talisman which can be found in or on houses and vehicles or worn as beads. In our case due to Yatzer's relaunch we needed a protection for our new HOME to avoid the evil eye and that's why we've decided to start the new season with Sebastian Bergne's "Evil eye" collection for GAIA&GINO!
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"The eye motif is slightly surreal when applied to these products. I’ve moved a long way out of my comfort zone here, working with decoration... I used a new SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS product called Crystal Rocks (Large double-pointed Chatons applied by heat to a synthetic carrier material) for the pupil of the eye. It looks and feels organic and rough, like it’s been grown not made. It’s less jewel-like than a single crystal and will, I hope, create a strong focal point." Sebastian Bergne
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“Sebastian had been on my wish list for a while – his language is completely consistent with that of GAIA&GINO. The combination of technology with craftsmanship and some storytelling is perfect. Iznik quartz is a unique type of ceramic, fired at very high temperatures and extremely durable (lasting 1000 years). He fell in love with the technique and the colours you could achieve. The result is an extraordinary combination of Turkish history and contemporary design.” Gaye Cevikel, founder of GAIA&GINO
Image Courtesy of Gaia&Gino
