Lasvit Debuts Nendo Designs at Milan & NeoCon
The custom atelier division of Lasvit, the visionary Czech Republic glass manufacturer, presented an extraordinary collaboration with Japanese superstar designer Oki Sato, founder of Japanese Nendo Studio. The new hand-blown glass collection debuted at Salone di Mobile in Milan and was reprised at NeoCon 2012 in Chicago .
The 2012 exhibition, entitled Still & Sparkling, represents an innovative next step in Lasvit’s pioneering approach to research and experimentation in hand-blown glass, coupled with Nendo’s vision. Lasvit continues its tradition of superior collaborative partnerships in art and design. Leon Jakimic, founder and CEO of Lasvit, says, “Lasvit and Nendo’s Oki Sato, one of Japan’s foremost young design stars, have managed to create unique, never-seen-before art pieces. With Lasvit, Oki Sato discovered glass as a material. Together with our master glassblowers, he wonderfully re-imagines glass as the material for his distinctive, minimalist designs.”
Oki Sato says, “Working with glass is like working with water. You can never totally control this material, so there is always research, new attempts, risk-taking, testing what is possible. This is extremely stimulating for me as the results always lead to new surprises. With glass you have the chance to obtain unique and matchless pieces.”
The new Nendo collection combines elegant lightness and minimalism to create practical, beautiful objects with evocative, delicate appeal. Because Lasvit’s glass blowers create each piece individually and because glass is a fluid, changeable medium, no two items are exactly alike.
Each of the concepts presented in Milan explores a different, distinctive approach to glass achieved by the accomplished artisans in the Lasvit workshop in Nový Bor. For Lasvit’s Inhale Lamp, glass blowers form big air bubbles then inhale to produce an unusual shape with negative air pressure. Press lamps in pendant and floor styles rely on light sources tucked into compressed glass tubes to produce soft, organic forms. Growing Vases are whimsical objects in which glass pipes give the illusion of vases blooming out of flowers. The exhibition also featured vases and tables, and is an expansion of the Bohemian Rhapsody project that was presented last year in Milan.
About Nendo
Nendo studio, founded by Oki Sato in Tokyo in 2002, is a leader in Japanese design and collaborates with the most prestigious international companies. The genesis of Nendo is evident in the name itself: the word in Japanese meaning clay, particularly the one used by children. With glass and its collaboration with Lasvit, this idea culminates in purity, lightness and linearity.
About Lasvit
Lasvit is a leading designer and manufacturer of custom contemporary light fittings, feature glass art installations and award-winning lighting collections. The company has five Centers of Innovation, which include: Lasvit Contemporary, Lasvit Architectural Glass, Lasvit Home Collection, Lasvit Classic and Lasvit Glassware.
Lasvit is committed to advancing the boundaries of tradition in its use and exploration of glass as a medium and its commitment to experimentation with new and unconventional manufacturing processes. Testing and innovation have always been, and still are part of Lasvit’s business, which has its roots in the tradition of excellence for which Bohemian glass blowers have historically been known.
Lasvit projects span the globe from London, Paris and Prague, to international cities including Moscow, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Singapore. Projects vary from glass sculptures for private residences, to large-scale hospitality installations. Lasvit works closely with designers, architects and clients to help them realize their vision.
Source: www.lasvit.com