Jaeger-LeCoultre unveils project with S.Korean artist

The Swiss luxury watch and clock maker Jaeger-LeCoultre on Monday unveiled "Origin," a collaborative work with South Korean digital media artist Yiyun Kang.

The company launched its "Made of Makers" project last year to join forces with artists from a range of fields, and Kang is the first Asian creator in the program.

Kang is known for her installation works that reconstruct space with moving images and sounds, frequently presenting large-size 3D works. After graduating with a bachelor of fine arts from Seoul National University, she went on to earn a Ph.D. from the Royal College of Art in London.

First working as a visiting professor, she has served as an assistant professor since December last year at the Department of Industrial Design of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).

"Origin," a 3D video work inspired by the golden mean and Jaeger-LeCoultre's flagship Reverso Collection, is displayed on a specially designed super-large 3D screen.

"Watching the elaborate production process of Reverso, I found the collection's adherence to the golden mean fascinating," Kang said. "Jaeger-LeCoultre inspired me to bring nature to a digital space."

In late March at the world's largest watch fair Watches and Wonders in Switzerland, Kang went on stage with Jaeger-LeCoultre CEO Catherine Renier and gave the keynote speech on the golden mean, which has a major influence on watch design. 

"Now we've reached a stage in which it's difficult to evolve without learning from nature," Kang said. "Mathematical concepts inspire the human instinct to pursue beauty."

Established in 1833, Jaeger-LeCoultre is expanding its exchange with the arts to express the creativity, professionalism and precision the company values through the commonalities among watchmaking, craftsmanship and art.

The Maid of Makers project as its goal seeks to add new value to people's life experiences, Reiner said, adding that to this end, her company will present differentiated perspectives using technology in creative fields such as watchmaking and art.

"Origin" will premiere in Seoul next month and is slated for display at Jaeger-LeCoultre events in major global cities like Tsingtao, China, Singapore, New York and Zurich, Switzerland.

Write to Kyeong-je Han at hankyung@hankyung.com