It's what's on the inside that counts: VOID showcases the inner beauty of Gemstones
Installation VOID Showcases the Hidden Galaxies Within Gemfields' Gemstones
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As part of London Design Festival, an installation seeks to venture into the depths of gemstones, showcasing the chasms inside and amplifying them to cavernous proportions. Designer Dan Tobin Smith and creative studio The Experience Machine, in partnership with Gemfields, present VOID; a multi-sensory spatial installation at Collins Music Hall, Islington.
The immersive experience allows visitors to travel through a series of large-scale projections, exploiting the intricate beauty in nature.
A selection of Mozambican rubies and Zambian emeralds from Gemfields’ mines, which date back millions of years, are brought to life through photography of tiny microcosms magnified. Expanding the gemstones reveals the abstract, plasma-like patterns within, a fascinating galaxy you could get lost in.
Accompanied by other semi-precious gems created in rare geological processes, these unique mineral formations are discovered, suspended and frozen in time.
The installation considers the concept of containment and scale, employing spatial design to explore the natural borders formed within these unique mineral formations. By translating moving image into a contained physical form and scoring the experience with harmonised layers of the human voice – by female electronic drone choir NYX – visitors are invited to enter within the portrait of a gemstone’s natural inclusion.
Two special events took place within the installation earlier this week- both of which sold out.
An intimate group walk around the VOID installation space with renowned gemmologist and jewellery specialist Joanna Hardy and VOID designer Dan Tobin Smith focussed on the history of gemstones, their origins and what attributes make them unique, while Dan Tobin Smith discussed his passion for inclusions and explained the process of filming and projecting the gems within the installation VOID.
NYX, a collaborative drone choir and otherworldly electric chorus gave a half-hour performance within the space. An experiential exploration of ambient noise and electronic music, NYX makes ecstatic sonic landscapes, punctuated with acoustic glitches, polyphonic overtones and electric textures.
The installation is open until Sunday 22nd September, at Collins Music Hall, Islington, as part of London Design Festival 2019. If you can’t make it @Gemfields have a fantastic collection of images and videos on their Instagram.
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