interview: lasvit floats crystal cloud of light above milan design week 2023 visitors

Lasvit suspends cloud to salone del mobile 2023

Lasvit unveils a nature-inspired, crystal Cloud as part of the ‘It All Comes From Above’ installation for Milan Design Week 2023. The interactive glass design, imagined by Maxim Velčovský, mimics the inspiration of looking up at the sky and stars – no matter where one is located around the world. In turn, the design evokes a similar meditative feeling for Euroluce visitors, as if they are peacefully cloud-watching.

‘I focused on the Cloud as being a symbol of energy. Naturally, clouds bring water, shadows, and life, but for the new generation, a cloud is a virtual symbol of storing information. Our design consists of optical fibers which distribute light through the interactive installation. Smells and a soundscape have been composed to extend the object to interest with the visitors’ senses,’ introduces Maxim Velcovsky, Creative Director of Lasvit, in an interview with designboom.

Lasvit unveils a nature-inspired, crystal rod Cloud at ‘It All Comes From Above’ installation

image ©Lasvit

‘nature is a never-ending source of inspiration’

Czech glass experts Lasvit and Creative Director Maxim Velčovský have a history of using nature as both inspiration and physical material to create their art pieces. Velčovský molded vases from snow and casted their shape in plaster for three consecutive years (2010 – 2012), for example. The ‘Frozen’ collection from Milan Design Week 2014 resembles a natural expression as glass would spill over a metal form and to create an original ‘frozen’ lamp shade. In 2023, Lasvit’s natural inspiration evolved from snow and ice to the sky and clouds.

‘I often work with ephemeral things that evaporate as time passes. One of my projects was a snow vase, where I waited for the material to come from the heavens. As snow fell, I only had a certain amount of time to work before it would disappear. We often forget that we too are part of nature – like snow, clouds and water – so to me, nature is a never-ending source of inspiration. I try to capture moments that are difficult to write about, the process is constantly changing and evolving, and this leads to completely new compositions,’ Velčovský elaborates on how nature influences Lasvit’s creative design process.

designed by Maxim Velčovský , Cloud looks up at the sky and stars as an ever-present source of inspiration

image ©Lasvit

cloud is a symbol of mortality

Light diffused by the clouds’ natural shade was the brightest source of inspiration for Cloud. A suspended bundle of glass rods form the main body of the light fixture. Intricate optical fibers then cascade down four meters towards the ground, like rainfall. The interactive art piece constantly changes as visitors walk through Cloud’s glimmering strings.

‘The installation is like a living creature, affected by circumstance. Cloud is a big object, around four meters, consisting of crystal rods that can be assembled in different variations based on the surroundings of the interior or exterior. Cloud is a mortal symbol within art,’ compares the artist.

the interactive glass installation evokes meditative feelings in Euroluce visitors

image © designboom

Collaboration to form ‘It all Comes From Above’

Lasvit’s Cloud is complemented with other artistic work to form the ‘It all Comes From Above’ exhibit. New York-based architect David Rockwell Group found inspiration in the city’s shimmering night sky as well as the celestial landscape depicted in the ceiling mural at Grand Central Terminal. The architect’s Constellation series brings a cluster of shining stars that vary in circular scales. The composition is mapped out with straight lines, no matter whether functioning as a wall or ceiling piece.

‘It all Comes From Above’ also debuts innovative lighting collections from prominent global designers. Yabu Pushelberg creates the Miles artpiece, a table tamp that can be stacked or hung to create different effects. Campana Brothers‘ Sushi collection – originally sculpted from offcuts of carpet – is now reimagined as an elegant glass lighting piece. Studio LLEV showcases a revolutionary use of mycelium to define the mushroom-like Symbioosa lamps. Finally, Lasvit’s own Martin Gallo and Táňa Dvořáková contribute signature organic installations respectively. Gallo realizes the flower-inspired interactive Florescence and Dvořáková portrays the fragile beauty of smoke rising lazily into the air with the Twill.

‘It is always a great experience to collaborate because other artists bring their own poetry and stories. With every designer, we task ourselves on how to bring their ideas into the world of glass, within the context of Lasvit. When other creatives come to our furnace and react to our process of making, that allows them to form an idea. David Rockwell came up with a great concept of a beautiful, glowing, star constellation that reminds us of the Gods.’ Velčovský describes.

Cloud is focused on being a symbol of energy

image ©Lasvit

Future of Cloud

Cloud explores the relationship of individual perspectives into something larger, something that transcends us all. Cloud is visually striking and invites interaction from visitors of Salone del Mobile. After Milan Design Week, the interactive art installation’s purpose could be extended to many corners of the globe, serving a range of public or private functions.

‘I could perfectly imagine that one of the Clouds could be at the Google headquarters; another one could be in a nice public space or in a metro station to bring light underground. There’s a lot of ways it could be presented. Personally, I would like public spaces to house this special installation so that people can interact with it. The public could touch it and enjoy the artificial rain formed by this mass of glass, together with light and technology,’ speculates Maxim Velčovský, Creative Director of Lasvit, in an interview with designboom.

clouds bring water, shadows, and life, but for the new generation, clouds are a virtual symbol of storing information