WonderGlass: Cabinet of Curiosities
Posted on January 29 2018
Wonderglass presents a conceptual installation fusing ethereal visual art with lighting objects at this year's Maison et Objet.
WonderGlass presents ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ at this year's Maison & Objet, an installation full of beauty and surprises to showcase some of the brand's finest works by talented designers Claesson Koivisto Rune, Nao Tamura, Marcel Wanders, Dan Yeffet and Hideki Yoshimoto. The installation, divided into quadrants, showcases an object framed against large backlit photographs created in the Italian Dolomites.
Hollow by Dan Yeffet (2016) makes light its object in the context of architecture and glass sculpturing. The design emits light from a central illuminated ring which is captured by the surrounding glass capsule. The design interprets a dialogue between natural elements, traditional design and technology — it takes centre stage accentuating the space it occupies, bringing matter to the forefront.
Grappa by Claesson Koivisto Rune (2014) (Above Left) creates beauty through variation within repetition. The lights are arranged fruit on a vine, formed of similar shapes yet each varying in size. The forms are made of translucent glass, allowing the light source to glow from within. This concept has made it possible to create everything from small lighting designs up to monumental lamp constellations.
Rise by Hideki Yoshimoto (2017) (Above Right) focuses on the organic shapes of water bubbles and the refraction of light. Supported by WonderLab, the laboratory of innovation and technology at WonderGlass, Yoshimoto challenged the complex way light transmits and reflects inside different materials, resulting in a mesmerising visual effect. Yoshimoto’s work seeks to capture a dynamic moment in time and is reminiscent of air rising through the water, suggesting the possibilities of life below; a presence that we cannot see but are inspired to imagine.
Calliope by Marcel Wanders (2017) is inspired by Japanese calligraphy and created from hand-blown Murano glass. The floating pendants have an adaptable design that can expand to create full ceiling and room installations, either as clusters or as a single element. Combining contemporary design and modern technology with Asian traditions, the pendants resemble that of decorative paper lanterns, elegantly floating in a peaceful space.
Lab Edition by Nao Tamura (2017) is inspired by the moment when the sun hits the surface of a lagoon and how this creates a lens effect in water. Tamura was particularly inspired by how this effect captures a ‘spark’ then transforms into a source of light. Displayed in the installation the designs are set out like a chemistry set, almost as if the designs are creating themselves.
Further information on the brand and each of the designs featured can be found on the official Wonderglass website via the link.
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