Swatch and post-modern pop star Mika have created the latest Swatch Art Specials, KUKULAKUKI (RRP £111) and KUKULAKUKU (RRP£44.50). Swatch invited the singer to join the long list of painters, sculptors, video artists, filmmakers, musicians, photographers, designers and conceptual artists, ranging from Keith Haring and Kiki Picasso, to Fafi, Rankin, Jean-Michel Othoniel, Moby and now Mika (to name just a few), who have worked with Swatch to create “art for the wrist”.
Like Swatch itself, Mika turned 30 this year. Born in Beirut and raised in Paris and London, he shares with Swatch a commitment to creative diversity that appeals to audiences all over the world. The new Swatch Art Specials were designed by Mika and his sister Yasmine, who have been creating artworks and designing together for the past ten years. Working from their London studio, the Swatch project has been their design priority for the last 12 months.
Mika developed two different designs, both of which express his idea of the watch as a totemic object. Mika 'screative approach always begins with a story. For this project he imagined a totem pole/watch appearing on an unknown planet. The inhabitants are at first puzzled, then terrified of the alien object, which they come to worship. When it fails to give them what they want, they chop it down, and all that remains of the totem pole is the watch itself.
Mika’s two timepieces feature a simple, bold pattern on the strap, with an image suggesting a traditional African tribal mask on each dial. “The patterns are a mix of designs that can be found in Tunisian, Moroccan, other African and Oceanic tribal motifs” said Mika.
“The tribal mask heads are a mix of sources; it’s difficult to pinpoint what they might be. But it doesn’t really matter, because they have the same function – they’re there to inspire curiosity and awe. That was one of the main parts of our idea. We wanted the object to feel a little bit mystical.”
This theme is echoed in the mask included in the Special Packaging for the limited edition KUKULAKUKI. “For that reason,” said Mika, “it’s not just another watch made of some synthetic material. This display mask is not just a box that you open up – it’s an object meant to intrigue.”
Mika also worked with Swatch specialists to help design the Swatch AR’t app, an “augmented reality” app, to flesh out the myth that lies at the heart of his design. Several times a day the app animates the spirit world of the mask, revealing startling new perspectives. It's available worldwide and can be downloaded from the iOS App Store and Android Market. For details, please visit www.swatch.com/mika.
Mika speaks with great enthusiasm of his venture with Swatch: “I don’t come from a design background, which is why I have so much fun designing stuff and why I love collaborating with people. Doing this was fun, because for me the process is exactly the same as making music. I don’t see any difference between the two.”
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