> Italiano
In a complex world, both ancient and modern, such as the
furnaces on Murano, who is more important, the glass master
or the designer? Which of the two protagonists, because
there is no doubt they are both protagonists, is more responsible
for the quality of the works and guarantees that the works
made in the glass furnaces, while conforming to traditional
values, are truly contemporary? This is a question, I believe,
to which it is impossible to provide a definitive answer,
because the answers could be different in each single case
and would inevitably represent only a partial truth, relating
as they do to single events and figures.
There is no doubt however that both the designer and the
glass master play a primary role in the furnace and not
only contribute in unison to the creative work, but interact
to their mutual benefit, learning to work with new collaborators
and acquiring a greater and more articulated understanding
of the potential of glass. The designer or glass artist
thus require a wider range of experiences in the furnace
to develop a design approach that truly makes the most of
the materials and techniques, the glass master updates his
experience and opens his horizons to the world of design
and art thanks to the people he collaborates with, using
his own personal sensitivity to filter requests for outside
collaborations.
In the best of cases, glasswork is a job for two, which
requires a synchronous effort that respects the rhythm of
the other. It is in this sense, I believe, that we should
interpret the title of the exhibition chosen by its protagonists,
Pietro Pelzel and Andrea Zilio: "Tandem". A tandem
is a bicycle that was very fashionable several decades ago,
a bicycle built for two cyclists, each of which had a seat
and two pedals. They had to pedal in a synchronous rhythm
and each of them contribute equally to the effort. Only
one of them steers the handlebars, but the two may alternate
effortlessly as the driver. To pursue the metaphor, one
might observe that during the various phases of the glass
work, the designer is not always the one that leads the
process.
Pietro Pelzel and Andrea Zilio have matured totally different
experiences but met one another to collaborate in the furnace,
and reached a perfect understanding. Pietro Pelzel comes
from the world of architecture and design, his attention
is thus focused above all on the construction of the blown
glass form, which is essential but harbors strong visual
impact. His background is however solidly rooted in Murano.
He grew up in Murano, he boasts many interesting experiences
in designing glass in earlier years, and his father was
one of the most significant engravers on glass in Murano
during the twentieth century. He thus understands the subtleties
of the glass tradition. He has returned to glass in recent
years demonstrating that working in the furnace is like
riding a bicycle: it is something you never forget.
Andrea Zilio is rightly considered one of the most talented
young glass masters on Murano, though he was not born on
the island, and did not discover his vocation until he was
twenty years old. Thanks to his innate skills and his passion
for glass as a material he soon achieved the role of glass
master. His refined ability to use the most complex Murano
glass techniques and his inclination to experiment makes
him greatly admired by artists and designers who are seeking
his collaboration in increasing numbers. He works, observes,
assimilates, and reinvents: consequently, he often creates
works that he conceives himself. But his work is demanding,
and he has little time free from his collaborations. We
are rarely granted the opportunity to see his works. Which
we await anxiously.
Rosa Barovier Mentasti
