vasku & klug display preciosa chandeliers behind locked doors of sand

vasku & klug display preciosa chandeliers behind locked doors of sand
all images courtesy of vasku & klug

in the foyer of the hofburg palace in vienna, michael vasku and andreas klug, together with preciosa, open up an alternate universe with their ‘behind locked doors’ installation. they intend to take visitors to, ‘an abandoned place to show them what happens when man is no longer there and organized structure begins to fall apart.’ within this context, they persuade guests to follow a childish instinct that they believe many of us have already lost: the curiosity to want to look behind every door, to investigate every corner; an emotional experience that occurs entirely without curatorial official guidance.

this royal building, which grew over the centuries, stands on strong cultural history foundations. it is so firmly rooted in the consciousness of the inhabitants of the city and country that for many it is probably scarcely conceivable that something new and unfamiliar is still to be found. with the first step through the gate, visitors leave behind the metropolis and become part of a classically-charged backdrop in which shimmering chandeliers are presented within a contemporary design gallery.

the foyer of the hofburg palace

vasku & klug describe the work in detail: ‘from all sides the slightly sparkling sand seems to lead the way into the room with invisible wave movements in dune-like formations, smoothed on the surface by the years of calm after centuries of hectic activity. richly ornamented chandeliers with the most finely cut crystal, archetypes of imperial splendor, prove themselves to be, apparently for the last time, magicians with light. before they too, having long ago lost their function, finally disappear. still a long time before the building itself.’

the work proposes that the chandeliers are hidden treasures of the architecture

during the winter months as soon as the installation is removed, the 60 tons of sand will be converted to glass and crystal. this will require the grains to be placed into a melting furnace and polished for use by preciosa for the production of 150 unique pieces.

60 tons of sand were used

the crystal works are provided by preciosa 

once the display is removed, the sand will be converted into glass

project info:

title: behind locked doors
location: foyer of hofburg palace, vienna
concept and idea: vasku & klug
partner: preciosa lighting
items presented: 8 crystal chandeliers from various stylistic eras
setup time: 4 days
sand: 60 tons
substructure: 400 pallets 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.