News Greubel Forsey was at the Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair on September 6th, 2012 to present Art Piece 1 in the making, their first artistic co-creation with world-renowned micro-sculptor Willard Wigan.
After learning of Willard Wigan’s incredible nano-sculptures five years ago, Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey decided to ask the artist if he would be interested in collaborating with them on a long-term project. The fruits of this will take the form of a co-creation combining the respective universes of Robert Greubel, Stephen Forsey and Willard Wigan, each one imbuing the creation with their own miniaturist language. The objective is to produce a unique piece previously unimaginable in the field of art.
For Art Piece 1, Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey will create a rotating hemispherical structure featuring several micro-sculptures, which will be easily observable through specially created optics. The ensemble will be a veritable tour de force in terms of innovation, architecture and technical complexity.
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.
Art Piece 1 will be unveiled during the 2013 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) in its advanced state.
September 25, 2012
