The Falls of Fairy Glen

By Louise Irvine

Hundreds of porcelain fairies seem to dance in time to Dave Rosenthal’s synchronized music entitled The Falls of Fairy Glen, which can now be heard in our Fantastique exhibition while viewing the spectacular Lladró chandelier. The original composition was written by Dave to light up the Niagara chandelier, which was donated to WMODA by Lladró in December – the best Christmas present ever!

Dave Rosenthal is a multi-disciplinary artist in Fort Lauderdale, and he performed his composition live at our Fantasy, Fashion & Fun in the Fired Arts event on January 16, which launched Fort Lauderdale Art & Design Week. As the tiny lights gradually created a waterfall effect on the chandelier, Dave conjured up a Celtic twilight with shimmering waterfalls and crystal-clear fairy pools.

Dave delved into fairy lore from Ireland and Scotland as he mused on a title for his original composition. His imagination took him from Ben Bulben in County Sligo to the Hebridean Islands. He was intrigued by my stories of Scottish fairies and finally we decided on The Falls of Fairy Glen, one of the natural wonders of Scotland associated with fairies. Located at the foot of the Cuillin Mountains on the Isle of Skye, the sparkling water flows between transparent pools and waterfalls. On rainy days, torrents of water rush and whirl in thunderous cascades.

Scotland also has a tradition of merfolk so our beautiful mermaid Rhanu added an enchanting touch to our fairy garden during the lighting ceremony. She was modeling a customized wearable glass top created by Chelsea Rousso, which reflected in the mirror pool. Chelsea combined her experience as a fashion designer and glass artist to add another fabulous dimension to the lighting ceremony at WMODA.

In Scotland, fairies who live in water are known as Asrais. They have the appearance of beautiful young humans although they are very ancient. They have whitish, luminous skin and if they are touched by sun-light they melt into a rainbow pool of water. These Celtic water fairies are similar to the Naiads of Greek mythology, the female spirits who presided over wells, springs, streams and other bodies of fresh water. See them in our Fantastique exhibition, which features fairies and nymphs from all over the world imagined by European porcelain artists.

The Niagara chandelier was designed by Bodo Sperlein for Lladró in 2006. He re-interpreted their traditional fairy tale figurines and created elegant butterfly-winged fairies in pure white matte porcelain which are magically brought to life with subtle lighting from the latest in fiber optic technology. Lladró’s magnificent chandeliers were launched as part of their Re-Cyclos project, which was inspired by nature’s ability to recycle everything.

The Wiener Museum of Decorative Arts is grateful to Lladró for this wonderful gift and to Dave Rosenthal for his magical music.