franz mayer museum & nouvel showcase over 500 pieces in 'invisible. glass design' exhibition

from october 10, 2019 to january 12, 2020, the franz mayer museum in mexico city and nouvel present ‘invisible. glass design’ — an exhibition that brings together over 500 glass pieces, ranging from everyday objects to artistic works, offering a precise look at the technical, formal, and stylistic possibilities of the material. curated by industrial designer emiliano godoy, the exhibition looks into the production of glass companies nouvel, grupo pavisa, and vissio, while exploring the gap between the museum’s collection and new artistic and design narratives.

all images courtesy of the franz mayer museum and nouvel

with invisible. glass design, the franz mayer museum aims to bring visitors closer to the material’s design and production techniques through a comprehensive look at the work of nouvel, grupo pavisa, and vissio and their collaboration with designers such as jan hendrix, perla valtierra, edgar orlaineta, julie richoz, mauricio lara, brian thoreen, and frida escobedo. gathering over 500 items, from everyday objects to artistic pieces, the exhibition addresses some of the themes that shaped german-mexican financier, photographer and museum founder franz mayer’s passion for collecting. these themes include: perfection and technical refinement; formal and stylistic explorations; and the creation of languages and design patterns that, on the one hand, account for the cultural references of his time and, on the other, open new creative spaces.

the exhibition is organized around four thematic sections: diversity and excellence, innovation and technology, form and beauty, ‘and everything for a seed’. these subjects examine the production techniques and history of grupo pavisa — a family-owned mexican company with almost seven decades of experience — and nouvel — an artisan glass company, which over the past 25 years produces everyday life objects in collaboration with international designers, as well as its experimental platform, vissio. the second section invites visitors to interact with glass-making tools and better understand the different production processes, while the third section explores the formal and expressive limits of glass with new pieces created by participating designers. in the last part, a dialogue between the contemporary production of glass using the pepita engraving technique and the collection that franz mayer built up throughout his life takes place.

‘from this collection of 259 historical pieces of glass, we selected those where it is possible to recognize the ‘pepita’ technique and its evolution throughout the traditions of europe, new spain and finally mexico, with one of the producers that keep this tradition alive: casa dragones, who will create a commemorative piece as part of this exhibition,’ explains the curatorial team.

forming part of the abierto mexicano de diseño, an annual international festival that celebrates the country’s design community in mexico city, invisible. glass design marks the franz mayer museum as one of the key hubs of the festival’s activities. during the exhibition, the museum offers a diverse program of activities that includes family workshops, conversations with specialists, and guided tours. one highlight is craft vernacular in contemporary design, a discussion between the first female tequila master bertha gonzález nieves, artist edgar orlaineta, and curator steven learner, moderated by designboom’s editor-in-chief, birgit lohmann.

exhibition info:

name: invisible glass design

location: franz mayer museum, av. hidalgo 45, historical center, mexico city, mexico

duration: 10 october, 2019 – 12 january, 2020

curator: emiliano godoy

participating glass manufacturers: nouvel, grupo pavisa and vissio

lecture series: thursday, october 10, craft vernacular in contemporary design with bertha gonzález nieves, edgar orlaineta, and steven learner, moderated by designboom’s editor-in-chief, birgit lohmann
(12:00 pm. guided tour of the exhibitions, 1:00 pm. museum auditorium, talk will be in english)

saturday, november 9, architecture and design 1:00 pm. museum auditorium

saturday, november 23,  design and manufacturing 1:00 pm. museum auditorium

special activity: museum night invisible, wednesday, november 27. 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

family workshops: sundays throughout november, 12:00 pm, museum cloister, cost: $50 pesos per person