Prague International Design Festival

Jakub Berdych Karpelis
4 All Space Dix

A rocket studded with coins and ten spheres. Glass object, blown and cut glass.

Produced by: Qubus

“My work thematizes the expansiveness of humankind, and I use it to comment on modern-day prophets such as Elon Musk who are colonizing the cosmos. I understand the need of scientific research, the desire of humanity to go beyond, but in this case, it is obviously all about raw minerals. There is nothing else left to plunder here on Earth, the insides of the planet have been devoured, everything belongs to somebody.”

DECHEM studio
Astronomic Supercluster

Luminescent sculpture, blown uranium glass

Produced by: Ajeto glassworks

“Slightly brutalist. It is made of uranium glass which gives it a specific character. We blew the shapes into a metal mould, giving them a specific surface texture and an organic structure which, in combination with transparent glass, makes for a very interesting optical effect.”

Lucie Koldová
Spectra

Lamp, blown opaline glass

Produced by: Brokis

“From the start I thought it would be great to just make an archetypal covering whose silhouette would be reminiscent of traditional table lamps, one which would react very well to the installation’s UV light. I integrated the abstract shape into the glass casing so that it would shine on its own, like some specter of former lamps or an abstraction of a lamp. But then I thought it would be a shame if the lamp couldn’t be lit outside of the exhibition’s scenography, so I decide to fit it with a light source.”

Václav Mlynář
Odysey

Glass Object. A transparent satellite, a ready-made consisting of glass discs used by glass-cutters for cutting decors.

Produced by: Bomma

“This glass object pays homage to my life-long obsession with sci-fi. I have always been absolutely fascinated by imaginary worlds in which our physical laws would not apply and where design, technology and science would have no limits. I created a space object which comes alive in the dark under a UV light.”

Lukáš Novák
Hot Girls, Cold Beer

Floor lamp, melted uranium glass

Produced by: Spoo design

“The work was inspired by the legacy of Libenský and Brychtová, particularly their understanding of the importance of saturation of light and color. The tension between the glass’ thickness and tenuity creates a particular form of artistry which became essential for understanding the material.”

Jiří Pelcl
Twist

Vase made of welded borosilicate glass

Produced by: Mikaglass

“The vase is expressive of one particular line of my art works, and essentially shows my fascination with production processes and with already existing features. It is produced by using a length of glass tubes originally intended for food production and the chemical industry. When I first saw the piles of tubes at Kavalier, pipes measuring two or three meters, I thought to myself: ‘And isn’t it a waste to use them just for the chemical industry or for breweries? It must be possible to make something from them, something other, especially since they are so simple to process. All you need is a gas burner and a pair of deft hands, and then just see what it can take, what it can do…’ And here again we see the democratic principle which has always been attractive for me. Using a mass-produced thing as material and using it in different ways.”

Jan Plecháč
Abyss

A vase which overcomes the limits of crystal glass production, blown and cut uranium glass

Produced by: Moser

“The Abyss vase was inspired by an air bubble rising from the depths of the sea towards the surface. Free divers say that the deep gives them a sense of inspiring tension, but also harmony and peace of mind. In the case of the Abyss vase, the tension between the immense pressure and a meditative lightness manifests the contrast between an organically-shaped core and the sharply cut, almost brutalist, exterior edges. The vase’s inner core is formed by the glassblower’s breath, making each piece a unique solitaire.”

Rony Plesl
Christ

The figure of Christ crucified, draped so that his face is hidden. Object, uranium glass

Produced by: Vitrum Vivum

“It can essentially be any person. The sculpture is a part of a wider series in which I explore the idea of some sort of creator existing beyond us, one to whom we are responsible for our actions. A soft outline of his existence.”

Tadeáš Podracký
Abiogenesis

Kompaktní objekt, kde materiál i tvar reaguje jeden na druhý a je prakticky principiálně neoddělitelný. Experimentální lampa, foukané sklo, kov.

Autorská spolupráce: Huňát Glass

„Chtěl jsem vytvořit takovou organickou podivnost. Kde se bude míchat moje exprese, stopy ruční práce a materiál s technologií.“

Maxim Velčovský
Perfect day

Glass covering, blown glass

Produced by: Martin Janecký

“A hatch, an atmosphere which forms around a certain object. I thought about objects, and by ‘hatch’ I mean a thing able to close on a certain situation. A situation develops around an object and the atmosphere underneath the hatch, it blooms.”