Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec take glassblowing to the extreme for Galerie Kreo

Last year, French designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec delighted us with a collection of vases made in collaboration with Finnish brand Iittala. The range was titled 'Ruutu', a Finnish word meaning diamond or square which aptly described the pieces’ shapes. Colourful and geometric, the collection was a good demonstration of the brothers’ way with colour and simple forms.
’Ruutu’ special edition collection, detail.
Now the brothers are back with a new exploration of the medium. This time, however, they have taken glassblowing to a new extreme, creating oversized shapes that combine colour and texture in a novel way. Working again with the Finnish glassmaker (which also produced Alvar Aalto’s legendary glassworks), the Bouroullecs created a collection of 14 unique pieces in sizes that pushed the manufacturing possibilities of the material, with heights ranging from 35–63cm high.
To be able to produce vases in this size, the thickness of the glass was increased, resulting in a textured finish, which became an integral part of the design. The set features clear glass as well as olive green and amber colours – when combined the three shades create a series of juxtapositions and shadows that extend the collection’s aesthetic possibilities.
The Bouroullecs created a collection of 14 unique pieces in sizes that pushed the manufacturing possibilities of the material, with heights ranging from 35–63cm high.
To be able to produce vases in this size, the thickness of the glass was increased, resulting in a textured finish which became an integral part of the design.
The set features clear glass as well as olive green and amber colours – when combined the three shades create a series of juxtapositions and shadows that extend the collection’s visual possibilities.
INFORMATION
'Ruutu' One-Off Edition is on display until 24 Decmber 2016. For more information, visit the Galerie Kreo website
ADDRESS
14A Hay Hill
London
W1J 8NZ
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Rosa Bertoli was born in Udine, Italy, and now lives in London. Since 2014, she has been the Design Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees design content for the print and online editions, as well as special editorial projects. Through her role at Wallpaper*, she has written extensively about all areas of design. Rosa has been speaker and moderator for various design talks and conferences including London Craft Week, Maison & Objet, The Italian Cultural Institute (London), Clippings, Zaha Hadid Design, Kartell and Frieze Art Fair. Rosa has been on judging panels for the Chart Architecture Award, the Dutch Design Awards and the DesignGuild Marks. She has written for numerous English and Italian language publications, and worked as a content and communication consultant for fashion and design brands.
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