EuropeanLife Magazine 2019 #2 | Page 18

The commissioned artists and contributors constitute a snapshot of cutting-edge practice today. Each of them is given room to explore, innovate, and play. “At a moment when Garage Magazine is working with our commercial partners in new and expanded ways, Swarovski was the ideal creative collaborator,” says the magazine’s editor- in-chief Mark Guiducci. “It was a privilege to commission artists and image-makers for the third BOOK OF DREAMS.” INSIDE THE BOOK OF DREAMS planet has always been an integral part of Swarovski’s heritage, and is embedded today in the company’s well- established global sustainability agenda. In addition, the global Swarovski Waterschool education program has reached 500,000 children on the world’s greatest rivers, and the Swarovski Foundation, set up in 2013, works to support culture and creativity, promote the rights and wellbeing of women and children, and conserve natural resources to achieve positive social impact. www.swarovskigroup.com The book’s covers include one of three stunning Cubist-inspired crystal collages by Mickalene Thomas: dye-sublimate techniques are used to print the images on 1,350-micron Promolyte aluminum, which is then enlivened with real Swarovski crystals. “Crystals provide a perfect combination of content, process and material,” Thomas says. “As a ‘decorative’ material, they serve to dispute the standard conception of what a painting is, and can, be.” Each project that follows pushes the sensory magic of crystals to seductive extremes. Raúl de Nieves frolics in a hallucinatory world of glamour and self-discovery, while Martine Gutierrez uses her own body as a canvas for sensual adornment: “A crystal’s namesake is alluring, her charms poised with strange desire,” the artist says. “It is always my hope to dance with her on film—if she will have me.” Nadine Ijewere sets in motion a luxurious, high-fashion dance; Horacio Salinas uses crystals to create dreamy, whimsical still-life tableaux; and Jenny Bui, the “Queen of Bling” responsible for Cardi B’s epic Swarovski manicure at the Grammys, conjures the impossibly beautiful future of crystalline nail art. Swarovski delivers a diverse portfolio of unmatched quality, craftsmanship, and creativity. Founded in 1895 in Austria, the company designs, manufactures and markets high-quality crystals, genuine gemstones and created stones, as well as finished products such as jewelry, accessories and lighting. The Swarovski Crystal Business is run by the fifth generation of family members and has a global reach with approximately 3,000 stores in around 170 countries, more than 27,000 employees, and revenue of about 2.7 billion euros in 2017. Together with its sister companies Swarovski Optik (optical devices) and Tyrolit (abrasives), Swarovski Crystal Business forms the Swarovski Group. In 2017, the Group generated revenue of about 3.5 billion euros and employed more than 32,000 people. A responsible relationship with people and the 18 19