Interview with Jules Wright

The Swarovski Crystal Palace exhibition, an incubator for cutting edge design, demonstrated the merging of art, design, science and technology. Each designer’s creative expression was captured in single room installations, captivating the imagination of each visitor. The final designs were a combination of sculptural pieces, art objects, or works which had a decidedly architectural quality. The exhibition brought on board Jules Wright, founder of the The Wapping Project in London and a background in theatre, who created a mise-en-scène that brought dramatic life to the different designers’ works. The guiding theme was inspired by the idea of inspirational palaces – from Versailles with its hall of mirrors, to Japan with its Zen aesthetic, to the Winter Palace in St Petersburg. Each design was showcased in a separate room, allowing the designers the opportunity for creative expression. “Every space focused the eyes on the specific object and the environments contextualised each piece in a theatrical way,” Wright explained.