Arik Levy for Baccarat
The collection, which was previewed at the Maison et Objet show in Paris earlier this year, consists of vases, barware and candlesticks plus an reinterpretation of a traditional crystal chandelier.
Called Phantom, the "exploded" chandelier (above) consists of a single arm taken from an original Baccarat chandelier, which can be hung singly or in clusters.
Other pieces in the collection include vases and glasses from the Baccarat range cut with abstract patterns using water-jets and cutting disks, and candlesticks made of stacked glass cubes bonded with invisible hi-tech glue.
Levy has also designed a range of crystal jewellery for Baccarat, called Rock (below).
Below is the press release from Baccarat:
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Gandhi likened the relationship between the means and the end to that between the seed and the tree, seeing this connection as inviolable and therefore intangible.
Arik Levy is putting his name to “Intangible", a Baccarat collection of vases, barware and candlesticks based on the distinctive Baccarat style and savoir-faire, which he interprets as both eternal and constantly striving for modernity.
Designer Arik Levy is a man of concept. For him, it is not enough to design, indeed this is the last of his concerns when creating an object; which does not make him any the less a virtuoso in the field.
For him, the first principle is to analyze at great length the means that can be used to achieve a great result. This entails understanding the genetic code of the brand as though it were a scientific concept, so that he can then, through new products, insert into it a personal gene that shifts it towards a contemporary vision whilst keeping alive its history, its essence and its integrity.
With Baccarat, it is about creating a top-of-the-range collection of vases and barware, followed by a lighting project, or defining the possible point of contact on the crystal, as though on the brand’s DNA - the place where the Arik Levy graft might successfully take. Integrating from the outset the unique savoir-faire of Baccarat into the designer’s grey matter. Arik Levy also knows how to observe with humility in order to understand and roll up his sleeves among Baccarat’s glassworkers for long enough to take on board the constraints and potential of crystal or a bygone technique.
He is then able to transcend and rework traditional materials and practices so as to forge unmistakable bridges to the contemporary world. In this case the techniques of grinding wheel cutting and water jet cutting, which will be the basis of the designs and the common theme of the collection - devising a series of marks or cuts on the crystal more than a reflection on the archetypal form of vases - through rhythms, incisions and markings, ranging from the infinitely small to the infinitely large, as a carefully orchestrated process.
This pragmatic approach might on the face of it seem austere. But it is tinged constantly with emotion, from the human collaboration at the crystalworks to Arik Levy’s fascination with the crystal itself.
“This sublime material that goes from the appearance of liquid to a hardness comparable to that of stone, through which light moves freely, has totally changed the way I look at the sand* in Greece where I spend each summer…"
Arik Levy confides. Out of this meeting of the senses with Baccarat, based on trust and mutual seduction, the “Intangible" collection was born. The inspired patterns created by the designer are engraved into the clear crystal of various sized vases and barware, in friezes, in cut spirals or incisions with no beginning or end and onto clean forms, which are for him symbolic of both vitality and modernity. “For me, the cut and design are already written in the material. My “obsession" involves discovering them and drawing them out".
The candlesticks, a random structure of clear crystal cubes creating a three-dimensional play of light, complete the “Intangible" collection which features Arik Levy’s emblematic “Rock" made by Baccarat from clear cut crystal, here in the form of a sculpture, paperweight or a jewelry pendant.
Another design, previewed last June at Place des Etats-Unis during the most recent Designer’s Days, the “Phantom" lamp confirms the move towards contemporary lighting for this leading international luxury brand.
From the very beginning, authenticity has been the hallmark of Baccarat. Taking inspiration from the past in order to better invent the present, taking the traditional chandelier and its light sources and refining it down to a simple poetic evocation, this is the task Arik Levy set himself. “Phantom" is one of the promising stages of this contemporary lighting project now so dear to Baccarat. Arik Levy will definitely be one of its most favored architects.
**one of the raw materials used to make crystal
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Arik Levy was born in 1963 in Tel Aviv. A graduate in industrial design from the Art Center Europe in Switzerland, he embarked upon his professional career as a designer in 1991 and has since taken part in various design exhibitions. Arik Levy has also forged an international reputation as a set designer for high-profile, contemporary dance companies.
From Ldesign in Paris, Arik Levy and his business partner Pippo Lionni are the creative drive behind diverse projects and prospective undertakings in all design-related areas.
Arik Levy’s unique mastery of materials, technology and manufacturing techniques has enabled him to apply his skills to a wide variety of projects and disciplines both in Europe and internationally.
From the outset of his career, his concepts, designs and installations have featured in a multitude of events and exhibitions in museums, galleries and art fairs the world over. Some of the world’s most prestigious museums have also chosen to place his designs in their permanent collections.
Vitra, Baccarat, Hatria, Desalto, Ligne-Roset, Cinna, Zanotta, Cartier, LG Electronics, Seiko Epson Inc., Gaia&Gino, Serralunga, Baleri Italia, Ansorg, Swedese and Softline Allkit are just some of the clients of his design company.