Cassina meets Venini: Colourdisc, a first project by Bethan Laura Wood

 

 

Cassina x Venini: Excellence at its Best. Venini’s master glassblowers join forces with talented Bethan Laura Wood to create unique handcrafted and blown glass creations.

Since 1921, Venini has been making authentic hand-made blown glass masterpieces in its furnaces in Venice.
Paolo Venini (1895 – 1959) was as one of the leading figures in the production of Murano glass and an important
contributor to twentieth-century design. Countless artists have collaborated with VENINI, past and present; they’ve
come from all over the planet to meet the mysterious charm of the Fornace (kiln). Each encounter gives life to a
cross-contamination between artisanship, Murano’s glass making heritage, avant-garde design and the purest form
of creativity.

The English designer Bethan Laura Wood has interpreted the perfect synthesis between centenary art and contemporary design with the Colourdisc duo of vases, a fruit bowl and cylindrical flower vase, produced for
Cassina by Venini.

VENINI’s rich palette of 125 tones is the utmost expression of the unique artistic and cultural heritage for which the
Fornace is renowned worldwide: unrivalled in the Murano glassmaking scene. Each colour has its own recipe,
which is the result of extensive chromatic experimentation.

A series of coloured compositions of discs and diamonds in Murano glass, produced in the Venini furnaces in
Venice, are placed around a brass volume, available in two light finishes. Inside the structure it is possible to insert
an optional blown glass vase in amber or horizon blue to offer an additional pool of colour to the object and to be
able to use the vase for flowers.

“A duo of vases is the colourful outcome of my first collaboration with Cassina and Venini. The pieces play with both the physical weight and harmonics of colour for a dramatic balancing act with satellites of glass arrayed round its light core.” – Bethan Laura Wood.

When the discs are hit by sunlight or evening spotlights, colours reflect on the vase creating a kaleidoscopic effect.

Each decorative glass shape combines two points of colour from the Venini Archive that, through their overlapping,
create a third shade. This coloured lens, with a dedicated combination for each size, filters the contents of the vase
and, at the same time, creates a frame that highlights it. When the discs are hit by sunlight or evening spotlights,
colours reflect on the vase to create a kaleidoscopic effect.

The glass forms are fixed to the structure’s body with two brass pins – like those used for the structure of the
Olimpino table by Ico Parisi – drawing an abstract shape of the traditional 1960s disc chandeliers.

“It is very important for Cassina to collaborate with the most qualified partners in order to be able to develop
accessories that can complete our offer for the home. Working with an excellence like Venini demonstrates how
two Italian companies can collaborate to promote creativity on an international level.” Luca Fuso – CEO of Cassina.

“We are very proud of the collaboration with Cassina which gives us the opportunity, once again, to demonstrate
VENINI’s ability to dialogue with the design world. It was a great pleasure to work with such a talented designer like
Bethan Laura Wood and we are delighted to have produced this project with Cassina as we share the same values
of excellence, uniqueness and Italian production: key elements of our DNA that we diffuse throughout the world
through our products.” Silvia Damiani – President of VENINI and Vicepresident of the DAMIANI Group.