BEAUTY: Mixed Media--Uri Shapira

Quartz material manufacturer Caesarstone commissioned Israeli artist Uri Shapira to create Crystallizing Philippe, a Louis Ghost chair designed by Philippe Starck covered in artificially cultured and grown quartz crystals.

For those unfamiliar, Starck, an interior, product, industrial and architectural designer created the Louis Ghost chair in 2002. It is an injection-molded transparent polycarbonate version of the historic neo-classical Louis XVI chair. Here is what the chair looks like without an encrustation of quartz.

Shapira tweaked Philippe's tweak by bathing a Louis Ghost chair in a chemical solution which quickly grows quartz crystals.

Here are some photos of the process with the chair resting in the chemical solution to promote rapid crystal growth.

http://urishapira.com/
http://www.dwr.com/product/louis-ghost-armchair.do
http://www.starck.com/en/