The work of Laurids Gallée is defined by a distinctive sense of colour expressed through transparencies. Working primarily in polymer resin (with occasional experiments in wood or aluminium), the Austrian designer gives the material an almost liquid quality, playing with shape and colour to create objects that defy traditional forms. ‘The creative process is characterised by a mandatory playfulness,’ he says of his work, which is still guided by a serious approach to both traditional and contemporary craftsmanship, and functionality as the final goal (lighting design being a preferred medium).
Despite the glass-like appearance of many of his works, Gallée had never worked with the material until recently, when he collaborated with Moser on a new series of glass vessels. Dubbed ‘Axis’, the collection explores the Czech glassmaker’s creative director Jan Plecháč‘s vision of pushing the expressive boundaries of crystal glass and its manufacturing possibilities. The pieces are defined by an architectural approach (nodding to early 20th-century modernism), with grid-like cuts defining their design in ‘Rosalin’, Moser’s traditional pink hue, which is rendered from a rich brick-like tone on the thick base of the vessels to a delicate shade towards the top.
Within the collection, which also includes tumblers, saucers and a carafe, the vase was particularly challenging to create and pushed the boundaries of the material and the Moser glassmaking workshop. Blown into a mould characterised by a sharp angle, the vase features an angular exterior and round core, both a pure expression of the craft and a feat of technical ability (it can be mouth-blown by only the most experienced glassblowers).
‘Pushing the absolute limits of what’s technically possible is truly exciting,’ comments Gallée. ‘I have immense respect for the craftsmanship of the team at Moser, who have not only surpassed those limits, but even extended them further. It’s an enormous honour for me to work with someone who’s taken their art to such perfection.’