Nendo tell new stories around glass in the areas of Dilmos. A solo exhibition on the Japanese group Nendo with projects that have glass as the common denominator. They choose to compare themselves with Companies which have always had a close connection with glass in expressing suggestions and thoughts linked to this traditional material. Nendo are minimal in gestures but strong in meaning and reread and rethink the shapes, functions and decorations of some iconic items in glass. The aim of Glassworks is to bring out a new awareness around a material about which there is still much to be said.
PATCHWORK-GLASS VASE
A Nendo project made by Lasvit.
A collection of vases in Bohemian glass.
A collection of objects that combines the fine cut glass techniques special to Bohemian glass with ancient production method for sheet glass in which glass blown in a cylinder is cut away, opened up and flattened. "We reheated a variety of objects already decorated with traditional cut glass patterns, then sliced them open and reattached them to each other to create one large object. As a manner of making, the process was like sewing together animal hides, or piecing together small fragments of cloth to create a great patchwork quilt."
diam cm 31,6x50h/ diam cm 39,6x38h/ diam cm 49,6x25h
ROTATING-GLASS SHELF
A Nendo project made by Lasvit.
Shelves made of multi-layer birch with rotating disks in blown glass.
A storage unit whose doors are disc-shaped glass sheets. Our design derives from the historical practice of cutting sheet glass from glass discs. We thought that the faint swells and depressions that result from the artisanal handmade practice would gently warp the things placed on the shelves, behind the glass. The holes in the center become finger-sized handles to roll the discs left and right.
cm 130x44,2x81h / cm 110x44,2x116h
HARCOURT_ICE
A Nendo Project for Baccarat.
A collection of crystal glasses.
French luxury brand Baccarat has been making crystal since the company's establishment in 1764. "For our redesign of the company's signature Harcourt line, we wanted to highlight a new facet of the beauty of glass by creating an edge like beautifully frozen ice, then 'melting' it. The company's skilled craftsmen smoothed the edges by melting the surface of the finished Harcourt glasses by dipping them into the acid ordinarily used in the final stages of the polishing process.The soft feel and distinctive light refraction of the melted edges closely resemble those of ice that has begun to melt. The timeless image of hard ice gradually dissolving into free-flowing water, as though capturing one moment in time, represents the company's graceful movement, between tradition encapsulated in its enviably long history, and its constant desire for innovation."
MOSAIC-GLASS TABLE
A Nendo Project for Bisazza.
A table with a metal structure and glass top with the application of mosaic tiles in transparent glass.
"We applied transparent mosaic tiles to the highly transmissive glass tabletop of this dining table. Colourfulness is ordinarily the defining feature of mosaic tiles. By removing this distinctive characteristic from the tiles, we brought out their texture, emphasising their materiality as glass."
cm 200x90x72h
BOTTLEWARE
A Nendo Project for Coca Cola.
A collection of glass bowls and dishes.
Coca-Cola's "contour bottle" has been a brand icon since its inception in 1916.It is also recyclable: after each use, the bottle can be collected, washed and refilled for further use. This tableware collection is made from bottles that have deteriorated over the course of extensive recycling, and can no longer be used for their original purpose. "We were captivated by the particular green tint known as “Georgia Green, and by the fine air bubbles and distortions that are a hallmark of recycled glass, so decided to create simple shapes that would enhance these traits. But we also wanted users to feel a remnant of the distinctive bottle in the new products.
Our solution was to create bowls and dishes that retain its distinctive lower shape, as though the top had been sliced off. The dimpling on the bottle base that added to mitigate hot impacts during the production process is not ordinarily a strong visual feature, but it's a particular characteristic of glass bottles and visible to anyone who picks up the bottle to drink. Keeping these ring-shaped dimples on the base of our bowls and plates also helps to convey important messages about the way that glass circulates between people as it's made, used and recycled for further use, and about the connections it makes between people in this process."
MIRROR-CONSOLLE
A Nendo Project for Glas Italia.
Mirror console with integrated top in extra-light, tempered and silvered glass 10 mm thick.
During the "Glassworks" Exhibition, Nendo, in co-operation with Glas Italia, is displaying 2 discontinued prototypes.
cm 120x41x185h
MIRROR-CHAIR e MIRROR-STOOL
A Nendo Project for Glas Italia.
Mirrors with integrated seats in extra-light, tempered and silvered glass 10 mm thick.
The name says it: this design for Glasitalia combines a mirror and a chair into one piece of furniture. Progressively darker frosted gradations emphasise the fusion of these two functional elements while softening the chair's reflectivity, giving it a stronger physical presence. The chair can be used as a ledge for objects, and also as a seat. The piece comes in two designs: a large mirror and chair, and a small mirror with a high stool.
cm 72x41x190h /cm 70x36x190h
DEEP-SEA
A Nendo Project for Glas Italia.
A collection composed of a low table and shelving shelf for glass manufacturer Glasitalia, known for their superb technical manipulation of colour, cut and adhesion for sheet glass.
"It's possible to colour glass by melting a layer of transparent coloured film onto the surface. We decided to deepen the shade of each successive glass sheet by slightly changing the combination and number of layers for each one. We also progressively narrowed the space between the shelves and combined them with a mirror to further emphasise the gradations. The result was furniture with depth: transparent from any angle and drawing the viewer into their depths, as though the viewer gazes at the surface of the sea. Adding objects to the surfaces only intensifies the difference between the different 'ocean depths' of each sheet."
cm 72x41x190h /cm 70x36x190h
BIO
Nendo is a design firm founded in 2002 in Tokyo, with architect Oki Sato (b. Canada, 1977, M. Arch. Waseda University) as its principal. The firm realizes its goal of bringing small " ! " to people through a multidisciplinary practice whose media include architecture, interiors, furniture, industrial products and graphic design. nendo opened their Milan office in 2005. nendo was selected the “Designer of the Year” from Wallpaper Magazine and Elle Decoration International Design Award in 2012.
