New 100 light is a unique choreography of molten glass bubbles
100 encompasses Bocci’s mastery in glass blowing in an exploration in collision and exposure
Canadian design and research studio Bocci presents 100, a new pendant light, for Autumn/Winter 2021. The piece brings multiple glass artists within the Bocci glass studio together in a performative act. Molten glass bubbles are prepared individually, then smashed together to produce unpredictable interlocking glass forms.
Every single Bocci product is handmade. Each one is variously blown, poured, carved, polished, packed and dispatched directly from their Vancouver base. As such, no two products are identical; they are individual, irregular and unique expressions of evolving research. 100 is available in two colours and a variety of chandelier compositions as well as a table and wall-mounted light.
(L) 100 grey pendant / (R) 100 clear table light
“For 100 we developed a method to make fascinating shapes but realized the most interesting complexity remains hidden inside the volume;” explains Arbel. “We’ve been developing new methods for making forms for many years and routinely cutting prototypes to learn about what’s happening inside... but it occurred to us that the act of cutting itself can be part of the work, not just a learning exercise. For 100, we use a diamond saw to cut swaths off the bubble amalgamations after they cool, exposing the most fascinating parts of the geometry.”
“100 is an exploration in collision and exposure,” adds Jay Macdonell, glass master at Bocci. “The combination of hot working and cold working requires intuition and skill in equal measure. It’s as if the artists have to have X ray vision… seeing the insides of the volume in their imagination in real time, prospecting almost, to find where those interesting moments might occur,” Macdonell says. “There are also pragmatic considerations. To expose the inner geometry, the artists cut openings from several angles, while also addressing the hanging balance of the piece… keeping in mind the central bubble must remain intact, as it becomes the diffuser for a light source”.
100 process video
100 has been displayed across Europe during September. Firstly, at Milan Design Week within a co-curated installation at Carwan Gallery Founder Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte’s private apartment. Secondly, in Berlin at the newly launched creative complex Wilhelm Hallen as part of the Hallen #2, exhibition during Berlin Art Week.
Initiated by design and manufacturing company Bocci, in partnership with Berliners Nico Wollenberg and Philipp Solf, the Wilhelm Hallen project repurposes a large, disused, industrial factory for the use of companies operating at the intersections of art, architecture and design. Bocci will also open its new European showroom and headquarters at Wilhelm Hallen; its vision is to become part of a diverse creative habitat comprising galleries, designers and creative practices.
100 clear and grey pendant installed at Wilhelm Hallen, Hallen #2 exhibition, Berlin
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Price from USD $695 for one pendant
ABOUT BOCCI
Bocci is a design and manufacturing company based in Vancouver and Berlin. Founded in 2005 under the creative directorship of Omer Arbel, Bocci is committed to fostering a lateral and open-ended relationship between creative direction and craft.
The company launched with one lighting design, ‘14’, which became an instant classic and remains a design staple and bestseller. Bocci’s growing portfolio of sculptural lighting is developed, engineered and fabricated in-house, through an infrastructure calibrated to provide full control over technique, quality and scale.