Thursday, October 9, 2014

Art for the Masses on Murano, the Island of Glass

Sweat drips down his forehead as he stands at the mouth of the furnace, evenly rotating the metal rod to gather molten glass on its end. Turning towards us, he carries the rod with its blob of gooey glass over to the table and rolls it back and forth, back and forth. Bringing the hollow rod to his lips, his cheeks bulge as he blows mightily, and the glass bubbles outwards. Back into the furnace it goes. The man does this repeatedly, sometimes rolling the hot glass in bits of colored glass to make it more vividly hued or pulling out points and curves with tweezers. When this piece is done, he pulls it off the rod and puts it in a controlled temperature oven which will slowly cool it down to room temperature.


Vitae by Denise Germin

Watching craftsmen create hand blown glass is one of the top reasons that my son proposed Italy as our summer vacation destination. Frankly, this took me by surprise because it has nothing to do with either Pokemon or Minecraft. You never know where you'll end up if you put a kid in charge.

We take a short ferry ride across the lagoon from Venice to Murano which is the center of Venetian glassmaking. Back in 1291, these craftsmen were forced to move to Murano because Venetians were worried that flames from the fiery furnaces would consume their town. For centuries after that, Murano was the main producer of glass for all of Europe.


Whereas the first stop, Murano Colonna, is near all the glass boutiques, we continue on to the Murano Faro stop which is nearer to the actual workshops. Stepping off the boat, I am immediately struck by how much quieter and simpler this town is than Venice. It also has a network of canals and bridges connecting its seven islands, but unlike Venice, Murano is the type of place which I could actually picture being inhabited by regular folks. This was never the home of royalty, politicians and the ultra-rich like Venice was. It is a place founded by craftsmen and their families

 A man greets us as we disembark, loudly announcing that a glassmaking factory is to the right of the dock. Ignoring his salespitch advice, we continue down Calle Bressagio to find a factory on our own.

Glass owl sitting in a glass flowerbed

We soon come across the first piece of handblown glass public art. A crackled white and sea green own with bright red eyes stares back at us from its roost in a seemingly fragile flowerbed of glass blooms. I'm guessing that the solar panel next to the installation lights it up at night. What a sight that must be.

Across the street, we also find the small glassmaking factory of Fornace Artigiani di Doge, the Furnace Artisans to the Duke. As we watch the craftsmen work, I realize how much training and skill is involved in learning this art. I have a hard enough time blowing up balloons for a kid's birthday party, much less relying on my lung power to earn a living. No pictures are allowed or else I would be totally showing you photos of the process. While we are there, they work on making a clown. In the thirty minutes that we spend watching, they almost finish one set of legs.

Looking at the tiny shop's shelves packed with glass souvenirs, I cannot begin to estimate how many hours were spent creating all of it. That's why so much of what you find in Venice is actually manufactured overseas in China. Yes, Made in China. If you want to ensure that your souvenir is authentic to this region, look for a Vetro Murano Artistico heart trademark.


Vitae

On the way to the canal, we discover the especially striking piece Vitae created in 2008 by glass artisan Denise Gemin and sponsored by FornaceMian. This lifesize figure with the womanly curves of someone who is heavy with child gleams in the sunlight. Made of silvery, bulbous glass and a mirrored, teardrop-shaped belly that acts like a gazing ball, it reflects the surrounding buildings and us, the observers. It is as if all of Murano is sheltered within this glass lady.

Turning onto the canal, we stroll by numerous glass shops and cafes. Murano has its fair share of tourists, but it seems less busy than opulent Venice. I quickly browse inside the posh shop Venini while hubby keeps the kids outside so that the expensive wares are far, far out of their reach. Whereas the items in Ai Dogi are traditional and sometimes kitschy, the glassware inside Venini are modern and contemporary. And, I repeat, expensive.


Streetlights in Love

Walking along Fondamenta dei Vetrai towards Murano's own Grand Canal, I notice an amusing tableau in a little town square off to the side. Two tall streetlights are intertwined as if gazing into each other's eyes. Streetlights in love. How sweet.


Natale di Luce in una Cometa di Vetro by Simone Cenedese

Across the canal, a monumentally enormous, shimmering blue sculpture is displayed at Campo Santo Stefano. Five hundred handmade, mouth blown glass elements join together to form Natale di Luce in una Cometa di Vetro (Christmas of Light in a Glass Star). It was created by Simone Cenedese in 2008 for the annual Natale di Vetro (Christmas of Glass) celebration and has become on of Murano's most iconic pieces of public art.

Crossing the only bridge over the Murano Grand Canal, we make our way to the Museo del Vetro (Museum of Glass) which has the largest collection of Murano glass in the world. Roman artifacts from as early as the 1st to 3rd centuries A.D. and Murano glass from the 15th to 20th centuries are on display. My favorite part is the first floor temporary exhibit of blown glass interpretations of children's drawings. Remember all those pictures you drew in primary school art class? Now imagine if a craftsman interpreted it in 3D with handmade, mouth blown glass.

The original kid drawings are displayed over the blown glass interpretations.

Having fulfilled (and. to be honest, exceeded) my son's desire to see glass blowing with a half day spent on the island of Murano, it is time to move on to our next stop... Burano, the colorful island of lace, for more aimless wandering and a spot of lunch.

Tune in next week. Same bat time. Same bat channel.

Handy dandy map of public art, workshops, stores and the museum
Related Posts:
Explore Venice by Boat
Dreams Come True in Venice



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