Fernando Romero was born in Mexico City, Mexico in 1971 and is one of the leading architects of his generation. He is part of a new avant-garde movement that consciously sets itself apart from traditional design approaches. The Museo Soumaya in Mexico City is one of his most well-known projects, a spectacular museum building that has garnered international acclaim.
Romero's designs have earned him multiple awards, including the Bauhaus Award and the Red Dot: Best of the Best.
Fernando Romero’s installation “El Sol” is made up of 2,880 custom Swarovski crystals and explores humankind’s relationship with the sun. The expansive structure is exactly one billion times smaller than the sun. Light from LEDs inside the sphere is refracted by the inner facets of the precisely cut crystals to create a dynamic surface that’s reminiscent of the sun.
“El Sol” was inspired by the geometry found in Aztec and Mayan pyramids. The piece pays homage to the artist’s Mexican cultural heritage and the artist used modern technology to create the structure. Design and development took three months, and technicians spent more than 350 hours constructing the artwork.