POMPEI — alissa volchkova

POMPEI

2023

We are evolving in a digitalised era, where robots are slowly replacing the human contact, and the notion of perfection is ompnipresent, related to the idea of the fantastic and surreal.

Paradoxically, reality seems more fantastic, the line between reality and fiction world becomes more blurred. This makes us even more attracted to real things surrounding us (like ancient historical objects in museums that fascinate us). I make a statement about materiality, exaggerating it.

This project shows how fantastic and paradoxically extraordinary the reality can be, by emphasizing the element of materiality through the ancient technique of glass blowing, and exaggerating the characteristics and different aspects of the unpredictable and mysterious glass matter.

This project is inspired by the ancient Roman glass vessels that were technically unique with a sense of aesthetic that was particularly admirable - even for simple banal objects. Almost every technique and process employed in glassmaking today was developed with by the Romans.

Historicaly, it is among the population of Pompei that glass production became widespread, where all families - from modest to wealthy ones - owned glass objects that were not only considered as art but also used as everyday objects.

I am here pushing the limits of the glass characteristics. Without using any mould, I am trusting the natural dialogue between the human spontaneous gesture and the natural reaction of hot and malleable glass, almost liquid, difficult to control, and letting it react naturally.

The glass is literally blown like a balloon to its limits, until it becomes impossible to be manipulated.

The use of classical shapes is here paradoxically contrasting with the imperfect, very thick and exaggerated irregular lines.

This project questions and defies the notion of beauty, generally associated to symmetry, fineness and delicacy, by presenting a family of glass vessel that are big, thick, with iregular lines - reminding a naive and irregular drawing of a child fascinated by the beautiful surrounding environment - opposite to what we are used to see with glass.

This project was presented in Venice Design Biennial 2023, for Swing Design Gallery.

Material: blown glass

Size: H 20 - 40 cm

Weight : 5-8 kg

Photo credit: Danilo Donzelli