jonah takagi references le corbusier’s unité d’habitation in glass brut vessels

born in london, raised in new england and based in washington D.C., jonah takagi graduated in 2002 from the rhode island school of design, receiving a bachelor of fine arts. in 2005, after several years of playing bass guitar, touring and recording with a number of indie rock bands, he founded atelier takagi in order to showcase his growing body of work. from lamps, to tables and chairs, takagi has exhibited his work all around the world.

over the past few years, takagi has been collaborating with CIRVA — centre international de recherche sur le verre et les arts plastiques or french glassmaking research center — to create the brut vessels, a colored glass collection that references french brutalism presented during paris design week.

images by jonah takagi

being the son of an architect himself, jonah takagi has always had a special connection with the built environment. throughout his career he has been inspired by it, producing objects meant to live inside it. in his latest collection, the brut vessels, he references one of the world’s most distinguishable structures: le corbusier’s 1952 brutalist unité d’habitation in marseille, france.

working closely with the artists and technicians at CIRVA, each piece begins with a one-off mold created from precisely machined refractory bricks and ceramic sheets. hot glass in the blown into the mould and allowed to cool slightly before the form is dismantled, liberating the blown glass vessel from its confines. once out, the glass vessels boast a unique and colourful appearance. on the video below, the process is showcased.

project info:

name: brut vessels

designer: jonah takagi

in collaboration with: CIRVA