December 13, 2023 |
You’ve landed in a crystal-strewn room with Lady Gaga, Björk, Marilyn Monroe and Elton John. No, you’ve not died and gone to gay heaven. This is the brand-new exhibit housed inside Swarovski Kristallwelten, the jewellery titan’s expansive gallery-cum-immersive experience on the outskirts of Innsbruck, Austria.
Titled Art of Performance, the show is a tour de force of pop excellence and Hollywood royalty. Curated by Michael Schmidt, the showcase is a glistening display of Swarovski’s impact on the worlds of film, television, stage, dance and sports across the last century.
“Carla Rumler [Swarovski’s cultural director and curator of Swarovski Kristallwelten] had the idea for the Art of Performance exhibition 15 years ago and had been searching for someone to curate it since then,” says Schmidt. “When we met and she learned of my history of making clothing for entertainers she asked if I would be interested in the challenge. I was intrigued, as I use Swarovski crystals in my ensembles more than probably any other designer whose focus is entertainment.”
Working together, Schmidt and Rumler have sourced a wealth of outfits from across the world that have been worn by the showbiz elite, each piece awash with dazzling, Swarovski crystals. There’s plenty to marvel at here. From Dorothy’s Ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz to a replica of the ‘heart of the ocean’ necklace from Titanic, the exhibition isn’t short on movie magic.
Also on display is a crystal-studded leotard once worn by Olympic-winning gymnast Simone Biles and a crystal-encrusted frock envisioned by Catherine D’Lish for burlesque icon, Dita Von Teese.
“These sensational moments that we share were all touched by Swarovski crystal,” says Schmidt. “Show business is about delighting the audience’s senses, be it on stage or film. This means capturing and exploiting the light by any means necessary. Sparkle adds a mystical aura to anything or anyone it touches. One of the great tools in a costume designer’s toolbox is Swarovski crystals.”
Throughout the exhibition, it’s pop that packs a serious punch. There’s a cowboy-inspired getup worn by Lady Gaga during her Joanne album cycle, a pair of bedazzled Hunter wellies made for Elton John’s Glastonbury headline slot last summer and the Moschino chandelier dress Katy Perry walked the pink carpet in at the 2019 Met Gala.
“One of my favourite pieces [in the exhibition] is the extraordinary and futuristic dress worn by Björk, designed by Lana Dumitru and Vlad Tenu,” says Schmidt. “It is an astonishing technological achievement, and an example of the incredible amount of hand labour that goes into creating one of these masterful works of couture art.”
Swarovski Kristallwelten, which translates to ‘Crystal Worlds’, is made up of Chambers of Wonder; a series of conjoined exhibitions which currently feature works from kingpins in the art world like Yayoi Kusama and James Turrell. Circled by an impressive garden (where you can ride rather elegantly on a black-and-white carousel created by Spanish designer Jaime Hayon), the space has attracted over 16 million visitors since it opened in 1995 – making it one of the country’s largest tourist attractions.
Schmidt and Rumler will continue to rotate the outfits on display at Art of Performance, meaning there’s plenty more star dazzling moments to come. “I hope people will have a newfound appreciation for not only the amount of time and skill that goes into these masterworks of creativity,” says Schmidt, “but also for the work of Swarovski in constantly developing innovations in the marvellous world of crystal embellishments that help take these creations to ever greater heights!”
‘Art of Performance’ is open at Swarovski Kristallwelten, Austria. Book tickets here.
