“Light Blowing” Exhibition at The Venice Glass Week.

Under the creative direction of Ilaria Ruggiero and Samantha Punis, “Light Blowing” presents the richness and complexity of lighting production in hand-blown glass today. The exhibition brings together nine of the world’s best glass artisans, taking place within the revolutionary space Murano Gallery LUab 4.0, launched during the inaugural Venice Glass Week (September 10–17th).

On display is a selection of important blown glass lighting design products, chosen with the aim of approaching, and telling the story of, some very different production dimensions. The group show brings together Murano glass and Czech glass, the creations of great glass–masters alongside the visions of famous designers, exclusive and limited editions, as well as brands which speak through their own personal creative language.

Light Blowing presents as a multi-voiced conversation that presents the complexity and richness of glass production today through the works of Bomma; Simone Crestani; Esther Patterson for Curiousa & Curiousa; Doris Darling; Fabio Fornasier; Jaroslav Bejvl jr. x Preciosa; VI+M Studio and Karim Rashid for Purho; Studio Furthermore; and Zaha Hadid, Nendo and Nao Tamura for WonderGlass.

“An impossible gesture, a skill, a puff of magical air, an illumination, in which light and glass take shape together”, explains Ilaria Ruggiero, co-curator of Light Blowning, on the concept of the exhibition.

Murano Gallery LUab 4.0 is a place for research and experimentation where Murano glass converses with international glass, stimulating cultural and generational exchanges, making comparisons between the most disparate creative languages and investigating new production techniques. The location has recently undergone an extensive and careful renovation, including the exhibition halls, ovens, colour rooms and living areas and has come to life based on research of the needs of the local community.

Light Blowing was launched during the first edition of The Venice Glass Week, an international festival devoted to the artistic glass industry, created to celebrate glass, an artistic and creative resource for which the lagoon city is globally renowned. Promoted by Comune di Venezia (City Authority of Venice) and developed by three of the main Venetian cultural institutions which have worked on the subject for many years – Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia (Civic Museums of Venice), The Giorgio Cini Foundation, Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti (Veneto Institute of Science, Arts and Literature) – and by the most important association in the sector, il Consorzio Promovetro Murano (Murano Glass Consortium), brand manager of Regione del Vetro Artistico® Murano. The Venice Glass Week enlivened Venice from September 10th to 17th, with more than 140 initiatives.

Light Blowing exhibition will be open through to November 12th.

[Images courtesy of AtemporaryStudio. Exhibition photography by Cristina Galliena Bohman.]