Audemars Piguet is pleased to unveil the concluding design in a trilogy of lounge concepts by Chilean-born, New York-based artist, and designer Sebastian Errazuriz, alongside new artworks by London-based, Italian visual artist Quayola, at Art Basel in Hong Kong. Errazuriz’s striking design will travel to all three Art Basel shows in 2018, a venue where Audemars Piguet has presented innovative concepts in the Collectors Lounge since 2013.
Titled Foundations, Errazuriz’s immersive design for 2018 is based on iron ore, the natural resource at the heart of steel and one of the principal resources for watchmakers. The dynamic installation suspends hundreds of 3D-printed, scanned, and hand-molded rocks moving in perfect synchrony and evoking the Vallée de Joux, home of Audemars Piguet in the Swiss Jura Mountains. This design evolves from the previous lounge concepts which were inspired by two other core natural materials native to the Vallée de Joux — ice (Ice Cycle, 2016) and wood (Second Nature, 2017). Similarly, Quayola’s new photographic series, titled Remains: Vallée de Joux, unifies the natural roots of Audemars Piguet with his own visual artistry. The work transports viewers to the landscape of the Vallée where Quayola’s visual images were crafted. Throughout 2018, Quayola’s artwork on the lounge will evolve, concluding in December at Art Basel in Miami Beach with the reveal of a new moving-image artwork: Promenade, a video diptych captured through drone technology and high-precision scanning. Quayola’s works use recent hi-tech innovations to help viewers see the natural world in alternative ways, while his techniques reflect the careful craftsmanship and precision of watchmaking.
Audemars Piguet’s engagement with Errazuriz and Quayola illustrates the watchmaker’s commitment to nurturing long-term relationships with artists, as well as the Manufacture’s enduring dedication to supporting craft and creative innovation. Audemars Piguet is pleased to work once again with Sebastian Errazuriz who has been creating lounge concepts for Audemars Piguet since 2016, and with Quayola, who first collaborated with the Manufacture in 2012 for the exhibition commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the iconic Royal Oak watch.
Artist and designer Sebastian Errazuriz said: “I have loved being able to create and collaborate on a three-part design with Audemars Piguet. The material elements at the core of the project— ice, water, and this year, iron ore— are all integral to their roots. Foundations have a multiplicity of meanings. The foundation is where everything begins, where the new time starts, and where energy and movement come alive. It’s also a reference to the founders of the Manufacture and the family legacy that is so beautifully kept alive today.”
Visual artist Quayola said: “Remains: Vallée de Joux and Promenade represent the latest iteration of my ongoing focus on nature and the tradition of landscape painting. I’m interested in the differences between human perception and machine vision and I explore new aesthetics that go beyond our senses and the historic tradition of landscape painting. The result is a series of ultra-high definition digital images that give pause for us to rethink depictions of the landscape today, with admiration for the Vallée de Joux.”
Olivier Audemars, Vice President of the Board of Directors, said: “It gives us great pleasure and pride to present works by Sebastian and Quayola once again, marking a continuity in Audemars Piguet’s relationship with two innovative artists whose concepts directly parallel the artisanal quality and craftsmanship at the heart of our heritage. Our partnership is a natural fit, given both artists’ many similarities with the tradition of watchmaking: creative innovation, technical mastery, skillful precision, and a dedication to creating beauty in their work.”
