Jan Plechac and Henry Wielgus have designed a collection of hand-blown glass lights named Moulds, for manufacturer Lasvit.
Moulds is a collection of suspended lights, showcasing Czech crystal at its most resilient and lively form. The series captures a specific moment when molten glass resists its expected shape and freely escapes from the mould as a random, amorphous bubble. The energizing this series arises from the contrast of used materials, using the traditional craft techniques of blowing crystal glass into a beech form.
“The idea came when we came across a warehouse filled with old wooden moulds that Lasvit had in their archive. We were absolutely fascinated by the thought that something as delicate and pure in terms of form could be born out of something as raw and elementally primitive as charred glassmakers’ forms,” Jan Plechác explained. Henry Wielgus added, “We successfully attempted to create a light that blends the elegance of crystal with the rustic beauty of wooden forms, pounded together with iron cramps. Our design takes its strength from the rougher side of the traditional glass craft that stands behind its production.”
The Moulds collection brings powerful emotions into an interior. The composition of varied ‘overblown’ shapes creates a particularly striking visual effect. Integrated LED light sources were set directly within the charred form, creating an impression that the heat and energy of the glassmaker’s kiln remained inside, in historic reference to the art of Czech glassmakers.