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Design studio SOFTlab, have created “Crystalized,” a sculpture that hangs in a New York City shoe boutique.

 

The designer’s description

The crystalline structure we have created for Melissa’s NYC store is inspired by their Winter 2015 collection, Star Walker. Crystals are both highly refined structures and yet primitive. They can be found everywhere, but are anything but ordinary. Much like the shoes in Melissa’s Sky Walker collection, the ordered asymmetry of crystalline structures always inspires beauty.

Inspired by both the shoes and crystals, we have produced an immersive installation that looks different from every angle. We have taken advantage of the irregularities in the overall form of the installation to turn Melissa’s NYC store into a kaleidoscope of color and light.

By cladding the complex aluminum structure with dichroic acrylic, the piece changes color and reflectivity as visitors move around it. By lighting the pieces from within the large crystalline structures will cast colored light onto the white store using it as a canvas.

The installation acts as both a spectacular form and a giant lantern creating a landscape of color, filling the store with an otherworldly atmosphere.

The structure is lightweight compared to its large volume. Using the principles of both crystal growth and soap bubbles the piece appears to have grown in the store.

Overall the structure is made of over 50 unique cells and over 400 pieces of custom cut aluminum. Although the pieces are all flat they come together to form a complex three dimensional assembly. All of the parts were labeled and the individual cells were pre-assembled off site and then combined in the store.

The dichroic acrylic was used in tandem with this cell like structure to take advantage of the variation in panel angles. The dichroic film causes interference in light depending on the angle of view creating planes in a range of color much like light passing through a crystal.

灵感来自鞋和水晶，我们已经产生了一个身临其境的安装，看起来不同于每个角度。我们利用了安装整体形式的不规则性，将MelISSA的纽约商店变成了色彩和光的万花筒。

用软实验室结晶

 

通过用二色丙烯酸包覆复杂的铝结构，当参观者移动它时，该片改变颜色和反射率。通过在大晶体结构内点亮这些块，将彩色光投射到白色的商店上，使用它作为画布。

用软实验室结晶

 

这种装置既有壮观的造型，又有巨大的灯笼，营造出一种色彩的风景，使店里充满了超凡脱俗的气氛。

用软实验室结晶

 

与体积大相比，结构更轻。利用晶体生长和肥皂泡的原理，这一块在商店里似乎已经长大了。

用软实验室结晶

 

整体结构由50多个独特的电池和400多个定制切割铝制成。虽然这些碎片都是扁平的，但是它们聚集在一起形成了一个复杂的三维组件。所有的部分被标记，单个细胞被预先组装离开现场，然后在商店中结合。

用软实验室结晶