The star of the Wise Men. Swarovski Star for the Rockefeller Center by Daniel Libeskind

Today and tomorrow is celebrated the night of the Three Kings in many countries. According to the story, three kings from different parts of the world who followed a "star" to make their presents to Jesus.

This year for the holiday season, Swarovski partnered with architect Daniel Libeskind to create a new Swarovski Star for the Rockefeller Center® Christmas Tree in New York City.

Main sketch start design concept 2016 by Daniel Libeskind. Image courtesy of Swarovski.

The Swarovski Star was the first redesign of the famed crystal tree-topper since the inaugural Swarovski Star was unveiled in 2004, when the company first partnered with Rockefeller Center co-owner Tishman Speyer to present the Star. Libeskind’s Star is a brilliant showcase of Swarovski’s 120-year heritage of turning light into delight. The 900-pound star (400 kgr) is 9-foot 4-inches in diameter and features 70 spikes covered in 3 million Swarovski crystals, harnessing the company’s innovative crystal technology and mastery of the refraction of light in a dazzling, three-dimensional structure. The dramatic architectural lines push through space, bursting with dynamism in a radiant reflection of Libeskind’s design.

The Libeskind-designed retail pop-up on Rockefeller Plaza is both crystalline and star-like in form, celebrating the beauty, energy and light of New York City. The 146-square foot space has a faceted construction that complements the area’s architecture, with clean lines created from glass panels and video screens.

An exact replica of the Swarovski Star, also created with 3 million Swarovski crystals, will be displayed at ground level next to the retail pop-up, enabling visitors to explore its design and experience its wonder close-up.

“The new Swarovski Star for the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is inspired by the beauty of starlight – something that radiates meaning and mystery into the world. The Star is a symbol that represents our greatest ambitions for hope, unity and peace. I am tremendously honored to collaborate with Swarovski on the Star, and with the entire design team, to bring cutting-edge innovation and design to crystal technology.”

Daniel Libeskind, Principal Design Architect of Studio Libeskind

“We are honored to work with one of the world’s greatest creative talents, Daniel Libeskind, on his thrilling new design for the Swarovski Star atop the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. Each holiday season the Star brings joy to New Yorkers and visitors from around the world, and will shine as a beacon of hope for many years to come.”

Nadja Swarovski, Member of the Swarovski Executive Board

A previous Swarovski collaborator, Libeskind is world-renowned for his design of cultural spaces and monuments, including the Jewish Museum in Berlin, the Denver Art Museum and the master plan for the reconstruction of New York’s World Trade Center site. In 2016, Libeskind created a crystal and marble chess set for Atelier Swarovski, with pieces inspired by his cutting-edge architectural designs.

Projects such as the Swarovski Star honor Swarovski’s heritage of collaboration as a design-driven company, Swarovski promotes pioneering design through collaborations with emerging and established talent in the fields of art, architecture, design, fashion and technology.

Recognized globally as a symbol of hope, community and holiday cheer, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree brings together New Yorkers and visitors in a celebration of the holidays. The tradition of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree dates back to 1931.

SWAROVSKI STAR DANIEL LIBESKIND interview

What was the inspiration for the design of the new Swarovski Star?
The new star for Swarovski at Rockefeller Center® is inspired by the beauty of starlight – something that radiates meaning and mystery into the world. There is nothing more fantastic, enigmatic, mysterious and wondrous than a star!

What was the inspiration for the retail kiosk?
For the kiosk we created something that connects to the star both in proximity and in the architectural language. The crystalline form is star-like and will celebrate the beauty, energy and light of New York City. It will also allow visitors to experience the Swarovski Star on an intimate scale, which will be a new experience this year.

How does it feel to design such an integral part of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, one of New York City’s most iconic holiday symbols?
It is a tremendous honor and great challenge to design such an iconic holiday symbol. The new star embodies so many ideas that are at the core of my practice – meaning, light, form, symbolism and, of course, technology.

What do you love about the holidays? How do you celebrate?
I love that we collectively slow down and take time to be with loved ones during the holidays. For me, it gives me a moment to see the world maybe from a less hectic and less anxiety-filled perspective. I love to spend the holidays in New York City – the city takes on a new life and energy during the season!

Often when you talk about crystals, you talk about both surface and infinite.
When you look into a crystal it has got a surface that you look through, but then you go deep into the crystal and suddenly there is a reversal; the depth comes forward and the surface recedes. I think that’s what makes crystals so magical, that a crystal has really an infinite dimension to it. It’s not a three-dimensional object. It’s an infinite object because your being really traverses spaces that are not in this world.

How did your design for the ornaments evolve?
We wanted to encapsulate the radiance and energy of starlight in something everyone could have and make a part of their own holiday tradition. The star connects with so many as an iconic symbol of the season.

What does the star symbol signify to you personally? How does the ornament design express your feelings on the significance and meaning of stars?
The star conveys a message of peace, a message of togetherness in the world, of happiness. The star is such a universal symbol—something that all cultures and religions can connect to.

This is your third collaboration with Swarovski, what makes the crystal material so unique for the holiday season?
Crystals are magical, mysterious—they capture the imagination! What is a more perfect material to convey the light, and spirit of the season?

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Swarovski KIOSK+STAR South by Daniel Libeskind. Image courtesy of Swarovski.

Star only bw sketch 2018 by Daniel Libeskind. Image courtesy of Swarovski.

Kiosk Design Concept 2016 by Daniel Libeskind. Image courtesy of Swarovski.

Star color sketch 2018 by Daniel Libeskind. Image courtesy of Swarovski.

Daniel Libeskind. Photograph by Mark Cocksedge, image courtesy of Swarovski.

Swarovski factory. Photograph courtesy of Swarovski.

Daniel Libeskind. Photograph courtesy of Swarovski.

Swarovski Star for the Rockefeller Center by Daniel Libeskind. Image courtesy of Swarovski

Swarovski Star by Daniel Libeskind. Photograph by Angela Pham BFA for Swarovski

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November 14 – January 7, 2019

Daniel Libeskind

Daniel Libeskind, American architect of Polish-Jewish descent (Lodz, 1946). Son of Holocaust survivors, Libeskind emigrated with his family to America in 1964. He achieved renown as an architect with his designs for the Jewish Museum in Berlin and the master plan for the reconstruction of the site of the World Trade Center in New York. In May 2013 Libeskind was also appointed architect of a Holocaust memorial in Columbus, the capital of the American state of Ohio.

Libeskind’s studio has designed various museums and other cultural and public buildings all over the world. Libeskind himself has also held many academic positions, and he was the first holder of the Frank O. Gehry Chair at the University of Toronto. Among the numerous awards he has received is the Hiroshima Art Prize (2001) for artists who propagate international peace and understanding through their work. It was the first time the prize was awarded to an architect.

In 2011 Libeskind delivered the eighth Auschwitz Never Again Lecture in Amsterdam, and on that occasion he also received the Annetje Fels-Kupferschmidt Award, presented annually to an individual or organization for the exceptional way it has realized the goals of the Dutch Auschwitz Committee.

Nadja Swarovski

Nadja Swarovski is the first female Member of the Executive Board of Swarovski, the world’s leading crystal manufacturer. The great-great- granddaughter of Daniel Swarovski, founder of the company in 1895, she leads the global brand strategy and communications of a family business that turns over more than €3.2 billion a year.

In the past 20 years Nadja has driven a dynamic program of collaborations between Swarovski and leading figures in design. Commissioning innovative installations, artworks and products that celebrate crystal, she has positioned Swarovski at the vanguard of creative and lifestyle trends.

From Alexander McQueen to Daniel Libeskind, the relationships she has built in fashion and jewelry, design and architecture, film and art, have established her as one of the world’s leading patrons of creativity. Nadja also oversees Swarovski’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives and philanthropic programs, and chairs the Swarovski Foundation.

In fashion, Nadja has built on Swarovski’s legacy of collaborating with the industry’s leading lights and emerging talents, implementing groundbreaking designer support and catwalk initiatives including the Swarovski Collective (founded in 1999), and Runway Rocks (founded in 2003).

In design, Nadja launched Swarovski Crystal Palace in 2002, an initiative that reimagined lighting through collaborations with designers in the medium of crystal. The resulting body of work offered a snapshot of the most exciting creative minds of the modern era, including Zaha Hadid, John Pawson, Tom Dixon, Ross Lovegrove, Arik Levy and Yves Béhar.

In 2007 Nadja developed Atelier Swarovski, a cutting-edge jewelry and accessories line featuring collaborations with designers including Christopher Kane, Viktor & Rolf, Jean Paul Gaultier and Karl Lagerfeld. Atelier Swarovski launched a home décor range in 2016, in partnership with innovators such as Daniel Libeskind, Ron Arad, Tord Boontje, Fredrikson Stallard and rising stars Raw Edges.

Nadja has also strengthened Swarovski’s relationship with the film industry through partnerships with costume and set designers. Swarovski crystals have been featured in movies including The Young Victoria, Black Swan and Skyfall. In the music industry she has overseen collaborations with costume designers for performers such as Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Jennifer Lopez and Madonna.

Since 2012 Nadja has led Swarovski’s Corporate Social Responsibility strategy, ensuring that ethical and environmental standards are embedded in the company’s business practices as it pursues its aim of becoming a world leader in sustainable luxury. She is an Ambassador for Women for Women International, and under her leadership Swarovski has signed up to the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles and the UN Global Compact.

Nadja chairs the Swarovski Foundation, which she established to consolidate the company’s long-term commitment to charitable giving. With a focus on education, the Foundation supports projects that foster creativity and culture, meet social needs and promote wellbeing, and conserve natural resources. The Foundation has supported projects that include the restoration of the San Giorgio statue at the Basilica di San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, the new Swarovski Foundation Centre for Learning at the Design Museum in London, Women for Women International and Water Aid.

Born in Germany, Nadja is an Austrian and American citizen, and was educated in Europe and the US. After graduating from the Southern Methodist University in Dallas in 1992, she completed a graduate course in Fine and Decorative Arts at Sotheby’s in New York. She is currently based in London. In 2016 she was made a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, in recognition of Swarovski’s support for the Palace of Versailles.

Published on: January 5, 2019

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