102 FESTIVE GIFT GUIDE
TECHNOLOGY
THE ART OF THE A9 . BANG & OLUFSEN X FIN DAC
£ 3,999
Bang & Olufsen announce a new collaboration with visionary urban artist Fin DAC , who has reimagined the brand ’ s iconic Beoplay A9 speaker as a work of art .
Committing his unique ‘ Urban Aesthetics ’ style to Beoplay A9 ’ s circular canvas , Fin DAC has created a limited-edition speaker designed to complement the speaker ’ s bold form and striking design .
Fin DAC , an Irish-born street artist known for his depictions of Eurasian women in traditional dress , explores themes related to female emancipation and empowerment , readjusting the male gaze , and disrupting colonialist attitudes surrounding the Eastern experience .
Applying his instantly recognisable aesthetic to Beoplay A9 , Fin DAC has adorned the speaker with a powerful masked woman rendered in his signature spray paint and glitch style .
Complementing the bold colours of Fin DAC ’ s creation is the A9 ’ s rear leg , painted in the same turquoise as the subject ’ s mask , as well as an anodized brass aluminium speaker rim . Only 30 limited edition Fin DAC X Bang & Olufsen Beoplay A9 speakers will be available to buy , embellished with a decal of Fin DAC ’ s signature and accompanied by a signed and numbered collector ’ s limited-edition print of the speaker artwork – the artist ’ s first-ever print as a circular artwork on an aluminium panel .
“ Bang & Olufsen is one of the most renowned brands of the late 20th and 21st centuries with a definitive Scandinavian style and design … a collaborative opportunity like this had to be jumped at ” says Fin DAC .
“ The limited-edition Beoplay A9 ’ s image is something for which I ’ ve been known for many years now : an Asian woman in traditional clothing with elaborate hair and a fierce or defiant stare . My approach is always to not depict women in an objectifying way and to hopefully show their strength through their gaze ” he continues .
Beoplay A9 is a powerful , iconic , design speaker with room-filling sound and features Google Assistant voice control , Chromecast built-in , AirPlay 2 , Bluetooth , and multiroom audio support . It can either stand on its three wooden legs or hang on a wall like a piece of art to fill any space with rich sound .
Controlling the speaker is as intuitive as its elegant design , with the ability to gently slide your hand across the surface to adjust the volume and tap to skip , play , and pause your music .
Able to stand out convincingly in any environment , the new limited edition Beoplay A9 design brings a bold new look to the celebrated wireless speaker , opening up a new world of artistic possibility for Bang & Olufsen ’ s timeless home audio solutions .
THE ART OF LUXURY Issue 55 2022