Elaine Yan Ling Ng reveals Sundew for Swarovski

Elaine Yan Ling Ng and Swarovski have teamed up to create Sundew – an extraordinary installation on view at the second iteration of Hong Kong’s Art Central. Watch the work in action above

Swarovski returns to Hong Kong’s second iteration of Art Central this year with an extraordinary crystal-inspired Sundew installation that has an unforeseen flaw.

The multisensory series of sound-activated sculptures – resembling carnivorous plants and made of hand-crafted textiles by Hong Kong-based designer Elaine Yan Ling Ng – is so mesmerising that it has had a show-stopping effect, as visitors stand transfixed by the spectacle near the fair's entrance.

‘Sundews in nature lure their prey in just like this,’ says the designer, who graduated from London’s Central Saint Martins in 2010 before founding her own studio, The Fabrick Lab, in Hong Kong. Last year, Ng was named one of Swarovski's Designers of the Future with the first in her Sundew series unveiled at Design Miami/Basel 2015.

Although it goes by the same name, the current installation marks a significant evolution of the original series.

‘I’ve made some very ambitious changes,' she explains. 'Double layers of crystals add a new dimension but complicate the mechanical movement where the sculpture mimics the opening and closing of the sundew tentacles, as it closes in on its prey.’

The goal of the project was to reinvent textiles, examining ways of using crystals as a structure rather than just a decorative material. Around 20 million Swarovski crystals were used.

‘I love working with natural fibres so it was important for me to understand the quality and behaviour of crystals, to help engineer how the textile flows with the machine,’ Ng says.

The interactive exhibition entices all the senses, attracting its prey with two custom made fragrances: ‘Entice’ to help attract its prey, followed by a more intense fragrance appropriately titled ‘The Kill’.

The works also react to sound, with each form programmed to recognise a certain note.

Ng admits that within the family of sculptures, the relatively understated elegant rose pink form is her favourite. ‘It is so simple yet powerful. It was a labour of love to make as each strip was hand wrapped with textiles and then laminated with a special resin before being hand cut into strips to create that simple gradation. It has already captured me.’

multisensory series of sound-activated sculptures resembles&nbsp;carnivorous plants — The multisensory series of sound-activated sculptures resembles carnivorous plants, is made of hand-made textiles and features millions of Swarovski crystals

Last year, Ng was named one of Swarovski's Designers of the Future, with the first in her *Sundew* series unveiled at Design Miami/Basel 2015

The goal of the project was to reinvent textiles, examining ways of using crystals as a structure rather than just a decorative material

Elaine Yan Ling Ng (pictured) explains, ‘I love working with natural fibres so it was important for me to understand the quality and behaviour of crystals, to help engineer how the textile flows with the machine'

INFORMATION

’Elaine Yan Ling Ng: Sundew’ is on view until 26 March. For more information, visit the Art Central Hong Kong website

ADDRESS

Art Central
Central Harbourfront Event Space
9 Lung Wo Road
Central, Hong Kong

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Catherine Shaw is a writer, editor and consultant specialising in architecture and design. She has written and contributed to over ten books, including award-winning monographs on art collector and designer Alan Chan, and on architect William Lim's Asian design philosophy. She has also authored books on architect André Fu, on Turkish interior designer Zeynep Fadıllıoğlu, and on Beijing-based OPEN Architecture's most significant cultural projects across China.