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Magazine
EXPERIENCE
In the eye of a crystal
GUSTASP AND JEROO IRANI
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Put reality on hold for a while and immerse yourself in the fluid, bizarre possibilities of crystal at the Swarovski museum near Innsbruck, Austria.
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Were the chambers the ultimate expression of superficiality or were they a masterful creation of a crystallised cosmos?
Photo courtesy: The Swarovski Museum
Iridescent glow: Colourful fireworks display brings the works of Erich Heckel, August Macke and Lyonel Feininger to life.
Nomadic giants populate the Tyrolean imagination, and legend has it that one of the lumbering specimens struck roots in Wattens, Austria, 17 km from Innsbruck. We saw him loom over the lush landscape, as formidable as the snow-crusted Alps behind him
, which, in winter, had the sheen of freshly whipped cream.
He had two Swarovski gems for eyes which smouldered in a come-hither fashion and water spewed from his mouth with the force of an Alpine river. This friendly iconic giant spreads his protective arms over his sculpture-studded green domain and Kristallwelten or Crystal Worlds, a glittering wonderland of crystal magic that was expanded and reopened on December 1, 2007.
We entered the giant’s universe — 13 crystalline chambers of wonder which have become Austria’s second most popular attraction after the Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna! Funky, skewed and bizarre, the chambers of wonder gave us a high, and we rode the crests of our imagination and flew into a cosmos where there were no rules, no parameters of reality as we knew it, no time nor space. There was only a fluid reality which kept shifting like quick sand under our feet.
Extremes
In the entrance glittered the Centenar, which, at more than 3,00,000 carats, is the world’s largest crystal, surrounded by art objects by Keith Haring, Niki de Saint Phalle, Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol. Next to the huge nugget was the smallest crystal, with a diameter of just 0.8 millimetres! An 11-metre high crystal wall lit the way into the deep bowels of the earth and into the first chamber, Jim Whiting’s Mechanical Theatre. We drew aside the curtain and were immediately plunged into what seemed like a madhouse — shirts and trousers flapped and danced a disembodied jig, a mannequin with her innards exposed minced back and forth endlessly; two men dining at a table swung round and round as they watched this surreal fashion show. There was much stomping and rattling around here and while it was all very zany, the installation was also an example of Swarovski’s technical expertise as each figure had been custom made.
Was this a museum, a playground for creative masters, a house of kitsch, we mused as we entered the next chamber in a state of suspended disbelief. As we delved further, our confusion deepened and then cleared. What had all this to do with Swarovski, world leaders in precision cut crystals which have found their way into jewellery, fashion, accessories, interior décor, culture and even industrial research and development? The protagonist, of course, was the mysterious multi-faceted crystal. And like a Charlie Chaplin film that appeals to both the young and old alike, this strange kingdom of creativity had adults and children laughing and giggling, at different times, of course.
Fractured sights and sounds
In the Crystal Dome, 595 mirrors formed an acoustic and optic kaleidoscope. Multiple sounds and light seemed to fracture the facetted walls and we felt like we were in the heart of a crystal. In the Crystalloscope chamber, we absorbed the relaxing effect of the changing crystals in the astrodome. In the Crystal Theatre of Susanne Schmogner, an Austrian stage and costume designer, plants ate crystals and suns danced while angels transmuted into flowers. Seductive fragrances drifted to our nostrils and the illusion of a mystical, Alice in Wonderland kind of world was complete.
There was a room of Crystal Calligraphy which streaked across the chamber like a blue-green, neon asteroid; the Ice Passage, guarded by a crystal sphinx, changed with every step that we took and unveiled a glittering world of crystal in the process.
In Poseidon’s Puzzle (Poseidon is the Greek God of the sea), one felt like one was on the bed of the ocean surrounded by crystalline sea creatures and waving plants while effervescent light effects and sounds completed the illusion of an alien world. As we left the chamber, we made the connection between the bottomless colours of the sea and the flaming hues in the depths of a crystal.
Reflections was a kaleidoscope of images and sounds; we moved in a spiral, experiencing different perspectives and contexts, which had the iridescence of an almost spiritual experience. The sparkling, flickering Crystal Forest with tree trunks hanging from the ceiling conveyed a message — technology is embedded in nature. Each tree had an artificial core in the form of a video installation.
Were the chambers the ultimate expression of sheer superficiality or were they a masterful creation of a crystallised cosmos, lyrical and almost poetic? We could not decide immediately, for, from a dark mysterious world enlivened with rivers of light, we found ourselves plunging into another crystallised cosmos of star shine, a crystal stage, the largest Swarovski store in the world. We no longer viewed the planet from the giant’s perspective, and our universe was lightly spiked with the fragrance (rather than smell) of commerce! The stylish shop with star-like sky, shiny pillars and crystal artefacts in sleek cases was as fascinating as the chambers.
Here was the extravagant crystal necklace that actress Nicole Kidman wore in the film “Moulin Rouge”, there was a crystal-studded couch for a modern-day Cleopatra, and a crystal-encrusted horse for a maharaja! And apart from these larger-than-life, floridly magnificent artefacts, there was exquisite jewellery that sparkled and wickedly winked invitations from velvet-lined resting places. We succumbed, bought a couple of necklaces as mementoes of the shimmering world of Swarovski which in turn is a sparkling foil for the frosty Austrian winter.
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Fact file
Kristallwelten or Crystal Worlds is located in Wattens, Austria, 17 km from Innsbruck.
Austrian Airlines operates scheduled flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Vienna. From here, one may fly or drive to Innsbruck.
Innsbruck has a range of accommodation from budget hotels to luxury resorts. It even has a few Indian restaurants like Sahib near the Old Town at Sillgasse.
For more information contact the Austrian Tourism office in Delhi: mukharji@vsnl.com; Mumbai: antomumbai@vsnl.net
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