Interview with Fernando Romero
For a 10th consecutive year Swarovski is set to partner with Design Miami/ on the creation of a design piece. This year the brand has commissioned Fernando Romero EnterprisE (FR-EE), a Mexico-City-based global architecture and design practice, to create an installation that explores man’s relationship with the sun.
Entitled El Sol, the installation is a vast geodesic structure, designed to scale, one billion times smaller than the sun, and composed of 2,880 custom–made precision-cut Swarovski crystals. Standing at one billion times smaller than the sun, the piece was inspired by a sacred geometry used by the Ancient Aztecs and Mayans in constructing their pyramids that was ultimately designed as a means to monitor celestial events. This was the product of a recent Swarovski commission by architecture and design firm FR-EE.
Founder and Creative Director of FR-EE, Fernando Romero took over 350 hours of engineering work, three months of design and technical development to create the structure while at Swarovski’s headquarters in Wattens, Austria.
El Sol features a spherical cut-out internal structure, with a smooth outer surface composed of Swarovski’s Aurora Borealis coating. The crystals create light from the core of the structure, a spherical pool of LED light refracted by the facets of the crystals mimicking the sun’s state, while also creating a prism-like kaleidoscopic effect.
We spoke to Fernando Romero about the process of constructing El Sol, its meaning, the role of heritage in his work and his future directions.
fluoro. Tell us about the meaning of El Sol.
Fernando Romero. El Sol explores man’s relationship with the sun. I was interested in the sun as a subject as it’s a fundamental part of our lives on Earth. While we understand more and more science regarding the sun’s unique influence on the rest of the solar system, there still remains a sense of mystery around it, which makes it all the more fascinating when it comes to our practice.
f. Why did you choose to create this?
FR. I was very interested in exploring crystal for the first time. Architecturally speaking, it has an incredible impact on perception. The potential shapes and symmetries of working with crystal — and especially how it interacts with light — led me to the creation of El Sol.
f. Tell us about your experience while constructing El Sol.
FR. The capabilities of Swarovski’s design team in Wattens, Austria allowed us to create a design that is incredibly precise in its use of geometry and scale. El Sol presented an interesting challenge to us: how do we create a replica of the sun, one billionth of its actual size, using both modern technology and ancient geometry? We have to credit rapidly advancing technologies for allowing us to create El Sol in its magnitude and under a constrained period of time.
f. How does your Mexican heritage affect your work and your outlook on design?
FR. At FR-EE, our practice is very much influenced by Mexican history and culture. We find it’s particularly important to unearth forgotten historical Mexican references and explore our roots when it comes to the ethos of our practice. It’s especially exciting to bring Mexican references, customs, ancestry and themes to a wider global audience.
f. What themes do you find yourself revisiting? Why?
FR. Much of our work at FR-EE is directly influenced by nature and bio-mimicry, as well as our heritage, as mentioned. Our projects address both private and public initiatives including community education and urban development. Beyond just practicing design, FR-EE works closely with policy makers and non-profits on initiatives aimed at elevating standards of living, particularly in Latin America.
f. Is there another brand/artist that you are keen to collaborate with in the future? Who and why?
FR. I am a great fan of Nike, Tesla, Apple, Wikipedia, Rolex, Bose; as they are extraordinary organisations with great products in different fields; each of them are leaders in its different fields through the integration of new technologies.
I love the work of Mauricio Castelan, an evolved intelligence.
f. What’s in store for 2016 in terms of new projects, collaborations and so on?
FR. One very exciting project we are currently working on, in collaboration with Foster and Partners, is Mexico City’s New International Airport Terminal. It’s currently the largest infrastructure project in Latin America and the aim is to revolutionise the experience of air travel. The project is to be completed in 2020.
From museums, like his renowned Museo Soumaya in Mexico, office buildings to dense urban centers and the desert, FR-EE is committed to translating historic, social, economic and environmental contexts into contemporary urban destinations. The work of Romero and FR-EE is an essential expression of design, as it hints towards design that is smart, embedded with cultural intonations and most pertinently, innovative.
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El Sol will be on view at Design Miami/ from Wednesday 2 – Sunday 6 December 2015.
www.fr-ee.org
www.designmiami.com
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