TABLEAU presents ALTUS a new collaboration with the two women from the Danish glass studio, BLÆS. The collaboration consists of 3 different colored glass vases in two different sizes.
ALTUS is Latin and refers to something high or above normal,” something that vases and flowers can be said to do. At the same time, the glass looks like a bubble floating to the surface or flying up in the air – and in that way becoming higher than its surroundings.
The vases are bubbly formed and attached to an iron mold construction in brushed metal. During the production process TABLEAU and BLÆS has worked with the crossroad between art, design, and craftsmanship. This has resulted in a hardcore, industrial look which creates an interesting contrast to the botanical world.
Glass blowing is a glass-forming technique that has been used to shape glass for more than 2000 years. The technique consists of inflating molten glass with a blowing iron to form a sort of glass bubble, that can be molded into glassware for practical or artistic purposes. BLÆS uses pre-melted glass to save energy consumption and wear on the furnace. They also recycle and remelt all the scrap glass for the production of the recycle collection.
The iron mold (which is a copy of the H/I aluminum bar), shapes the back profile and the front of the mold is made of rocks BLÆS have collected from their surroundings at Refshaleøen.
The mold is constructed for each piece and the rocks are carefully removed to be able to release the glass, hence a new mold is built for each piece making every vase unique and therefore impossible to make two that look the same.
The nature of the process of using the mold is an attempt to constrain and at the same time to let the glass do its magic, which is the ability to obtain any form and texture that it is blown into.
Due to the process and the materials used, there will be traces of the process on the glass surface.
BLÆS wanted to articulate a showdown of the ordinary concept of the flawless polished surface of the glass, and see the pieces as a hymn to materials and how they can intersect into contradictive perceptions of textures and durability.
The metal is strong and reliable but at the same time, it has an extremely ‘silky’ surface. With the glass normally being the fragile material it is in a way growing out of the metal in a strong-willed way as an amorphous solid. Giving an alternative to the traditional concept of a vase.
Source: TABLEAU