Greubel Forsey colabora com micro-escultor Willard Wigan

Os fundadores da manufactura de Alta Relojoaria Greubel Forsey, Robert Greubel e Stephen Forsey estarão a partir de hoje na Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair, para apresentar a Art Piece 1, a sua primeira co-criação artística, feita em parceria com o mundialmente famoso micro-escultor Willard Wigan. Este trabalho em progresso será igualmente apresentado até domingo na Time Art GalleryGF, a boutique da marca em Bund18, Shanghai.

 Depois de terem tomado conhecimento, há cinco anos, dos trabalhos em micro-escultura de Willard Wigan, Robert Greubel e Stephen Forsey decidiram perguntar ao artista se estaria interessado em colaborar com eles numa co-criação combinando os respectivos universos.

Para a Art Piece 1, Robert Greubel e Stephen Forsey criarão uma estrutura rotativa hemisférica, onde figurarão várias micro-esculturas, que poderão ser facilmente observáveis através de lentes especialmente criadas para o efeito.

Depois de Shanghai, a Art Piece 1 será exposta em 2013 no Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) já no seu estádio mais avançado.

Da marca:

Robert Greubel grew up in Alsace, France and began his horological career somewhat precociously, observing and working with his watchmaker father in the family shop, Greubel Horlogerie. In 1987 he moved to Switzerland to learn more about complications and he joined IWC to work on their Grand Complication project. He moved to Le Locle in 1990 for a prototypist position at Renaud & Papi, where he eventually rose to co-Chief Operating Officer and partner. In 1999 Robert Greubel left to work independently and in 2001, in partnership with Stephen Forsey, founded CompliTime with the aim of creating and developing complicated mechanisms for high-end brands. They co-founded Greubel Forsey in 2004.

Stephen Forsey was born in St. Albans, England where he inherited his father’s passion for the intricacies of mechanics. From 1987 he specialised in antique watch restoration, which led to a position as head of Asprey’s prestigious watch restoration department and furthered his horological education at WOSTEP. After moving to Switzerland in 1992, Stephen joined Robert Greubel’s team at Renaud & Papi, where he worked on the most complicated mechanical movements. In 1999 he left to work independently and in 2001, in partnership with Robert Greubel, founded CompliTime with the aim of creating and developing complicated mechanisms for high-end brands. Together, they then launched Greubel Forsey in 2004.

The work of Willard Wigan (born in 1957) is commonly placed in the eye of a needle, or on the head of a pin. Once completed, his work measures only a few micro millimetres, (less than 1/13th of the size of a grain of rice). The work can only be viewed using a high powered microscope. Often working with custom made tools and natural objects such as using the hairs off dead flies as paintbrushes; Wigan reinterprets iconic images from popular culture, the animal kingdom and picturesque scenes. For example, Michelangelo’s David, The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, Prince Charles, the boxer Mike Tyson, Marylin Monroe, Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland.

Working with a scalpel and a microscope, Willard Wigan works with unusual materials, like spider web, legs of flies, gold and Kevlar. Working at this extreme nano level necessitates extreme concentration and requires a rigorous physical discipline. To create his art Wigan controls and slows his breath to enter into a kind of trance that allows him to sculpt between beats of his heart. Such is the beauty and wonder of Wigan’s work that in 2007, he was honoured by HM. Queen Elizabeth II with an MBE for his services to art.