ron arad asks 'where are my glasses?' for venini blown glass vase collection

venini presents an ironic and provocative project by ron arad, fusing form and material, glass and metal, creativity and technique. ‘where are my glasses?’ — the designer’s first project for the italian company — takes the raw material and processing techniques of glass to new boundaries. the three vases combine glass with metal — a seemingly sculptural oxymoron — to propose a relationship between the spontaneity of the shape, and its delicate control by the craftsmen. with this project, arad joins the prestigious list of artists with whom venini has collaborated over the years.

‘I recently spent a great deal of time designing spectacle frames to accommodate glass lenses,’ explains arad. ‘I also happen to have recently taken up glassblowing. so, I thought I would bring these two worlds together. when I’m asked about where my ideas come from, I answer that ideas are everywhere: the problem is not to find them, but to understand which ones to give precedence to. then sometimes one idea, alone, stands out more than the others, and then it is impossible to ignore it. this is just how it was in this case.’

for the project — presented during milan design week 2018 — arad suggested that venini’s master glassmakers blow the molten glass within eyeglasses frames. these boundaries become almost belt-like in their tightness around the liquid piece. each vase then gives in to the opposite force of the glasses frames, eventually crystallizing into one-of-a-kind pieces.

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