Never one to pass up an opportunity to embed himself deeper into the public’s consciousness, Daniel Arsham – the American artist, sculptor and all-round raconteur – has now designed a limited edition of the Xiaomi 12T Pro, slated to go on sale across a variety of European locales later today.
Launching in Italy, Spain, France and Germany; this is, to put it bluntly, a reskin of one of Xiaomi’s more popular smartphones – noted for its affordability, Snapdragon® 8+ processor and a staggering 200MP of camera quality.
At this stage, there are no plans for Xiaomi to release any of these Arsham-designed editions in Australia; with a global total of 2,000 units to be delivered exclusively to European consumers: firstly, in an online partnership with Highsnobiety, before a wide release slated to begin on 16 December.
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Unsurprisingly, the big drawcard associated with this release is aesthetic – and there’s little doubt that Xiaomi will be able to meet its 2,000-unit quota with ease, in light of Arsham’s involvement. The contemporary artist has envisaged the 12T Pro’s external body in three distinct layers: crystal; volcanic ash; and selenite bronze.
In this configuration, the back shell, camera aperture and mid-frame combine together to offer users a glimpse into the passage of time – calling to mind the corroded wabi-sabi aesthetic of Arsham’s work in other artistic arenas (including automotive design and installation art).
That dovetails with the artist’s longstanding interest in how entropy affects our consumption of art: demonstrated time and time again in his gradual alteration of mundane objects such as clocks and the basketball hoop.
“In 20 years, there will be people who have this phone but don’t use it as a phone anymore,” says Arsham (in a statement accompanying the new 12T Pro’s release). “Instead, it becomes a sculptural object linked to a particular moment in time. It moves beyond functionality.”
True to form, Arsham’s interest in his namesake Xiaomi phone’s life beyond the present hardware cycle is evident in all the ephemera accompanying this release. Notwithstanding the phone itself, there are a number of cosmetic exclusives being bundled in: including in-app filters and charging accessories, branded with the logo of Arsham Studios.
