Omega project was the first time Emmanuel Babled challenged the Venini masters with such large pieces. 30 kg of glass, composed by different layers and colours, are placed at the extremity of the pipe at incandescent temperatures and have to be managed with dexterity and determination. Working in real time with such a mass of glass demands strength, precision, speed and intuition, mixed into a kind of choreography directed by the master, along with his team and the designer.
Various glass elements are applied to the piece’s surface, defining a strong graphic rhythm to the object, mixing opacity with transparency. Some serendipity of the process is present because, as always with glass, there are failures and successes. Rather than seeking total control over the final lines, it is much more about creating a composition and letting the material naturally contribute to the grace of the result.
Each Omega is unique, and before being a vase, it is a graphic presence fused for eternity on the glass skin, using ancient techniques in a contemporary expression.
Image credits: Marco Sweering, Venini
