audemars piguet's art basel lounge by fernando mastrangelo evokes the swiss jura mountains

swiss luxury watch manufacturer audemars piguet has unveiled its latest lounge, designed by fernando mastrangelo, within art basel hong kong’s collectors lounge this year. part of a two-year design collaboration with the brooklyn-based artist and designer, the immersive, sculptural project evokes the swiss jura mountains – the company’s home since its founding in 1875.

all images courtesy of audemars piguet and fernando mastrangelo

tilted vallée, mastrangelo‘s design for the audemars piguet lounge will travel to all three art basel shows in 2019, inviting visitors to experience the vallée de joux through walls, display cases, and furniture made out of minerals extracted from the region. a wall of strata located behind the watchmaker’s desk in the technician’s corner appears as a disassembled expanse of the vallée de joux’s combe noire quarries, displaying at the same time five intrinsic components of audemars piguet’s latest watch collection—gold, brass, aventurine, sapphire glass and iron. at the center of the lounge, a forest made of sand and silica-moulded spruce trees showcases examples of the manufacture’s latest collection, code 11.59 by audemars piguet, as well as vintage watches of unconventional design.

when I visited audemars piguet’s home in switzerland, I was struck by the location’s timeless beauty and the technical mastery demonstrated by its watchmakers,’ explains mastrangelo. ‘material elements are integral to their roots and at the core of my practice. the result is a design that experiments with forms, materials, and textures and creates a universe inspired by the vallée de joux.’

a smaller area dubbed the escape lounge invites visitors to relax and experience a moment transported to the vallée de joux at sunset. its curved walls enclose a dark rugged terrain of sand and a lighting system which replicates the natural light of the vallée, captured by high-tech drones.

‘it gives us great pleasure and pride to present a new lounge concept by fernando mastrangelo at art basel hong kong, marking a continuity in audemars piguet’s relationship with an artist whose concepts directly parallel the artisanal quality and craftsmanship at the heart of our heritage,’ notes olivier audemars, vice president of the board of directors. ‘our partnership is a natural fit given fernando’s technical mastery, skillful precision and dedication to creatively presenting the natural world around him.’