Studio Job Wunderkammer

For one of the 16 Chamber of Wonder at the Swarovski museum, Studio Job created a “wondrous room about saying goodbye. About letting go of what once seemed to have no end.”

The term Wunderkammer is a generic term that originated in the early Middle Ages when wealthy individuals, dignitaries and royal houses in England, Germany, Italy, France and Austria added a special wing to their castles to display rarities and gifts.

In fact, these were the first expressions of what we now call “the museum.” The difference, of course, was that these Wunderkammer were shown only to the upper-class visitors to the castles. These miniature private museums came about as a pastime and as a way to impress their guests.

The Wunderkammer designed by Studio Job for the Swarovski museum is a total experience. As in a knitted fabric, all things in the Wunderkammer are connected with each other. Everything is about the experience. A different world, you are surprised when you walk inside. The architectural symmetry, the monumental Centerpiece, the endless detail, the extreme use of materials, graphics and dimensions: macro, micro.

The starting point for their work is a classical-architectural approach, in which symmetry and grid are self-evident. The seemingly strict context actually gives them the freedom to shape the ideas with full expression.

Entering through a double door, you come into an expansive circular space 9 meters across. We immediately see that the entire space is part of a total installation. Monumental paneling surround the room and large, round stained glass windows are illuminated with daylight shining behind them, so it looks like the windows open onto an outdoor area. In a kaleidoscopic fashion, the stained glass portrays the views of a greatly enlarged diamond.

The surfaces in the classical panels are covered with specially designed wallpaper. Around the room are bronze wall lights that are both classical and contemporary in design. Everything is polychrome, lustrous and glistening. There is a surreal, monumental and colorful atmosphere.

In the middle is a huge, round Paper table. This table has polished bronze elements, and surrounding it is a wonderful cast railing with rope that keeps the proper distance between the viewer and the large sculpture that is placed centrally on the table.