Diego Olivero Studio: Kaanch Glass Series
During NYC x Design week in May, Diego Olivero presented his latest project, Kaanch, a series of handmade glass vessels made in collaboration with Indian artisans based in Delhi.
A young designer with a clear vision, Diego Olivero has already carved his own path, developing a multidisciplinary career that is centred on craftsmanship and social impact. Born in Guatemala, Olivero first launched Meso Goods, a social enterprise retail business that works with over 550 artisans from Guatemala, Peru, Haiti, India, Mexico and Honduras. Stylish carpets, ceramics, rattan lighting, carved wood objects, among other pieces, the project offers accessible and beautifully made objects for the home while giving a sustainable income to talented craftspeople.
Collaboration is at the core of Olivero’s studio and for his latest project, Kaanch Glass Series, he turned to glass artisans in Delhi to create a one-of-a-kind collection of beautiful glass vessels and lamps. Kaanch is the Hindi word for ‘glass’. The history of glass technology in India goes back centuries, roughly to around 1730 BCE, but for this series they used Borosilicate glass, a more modern technique known for its resistance and low chance of thermal expansion, so there is less change of cracking under extreme temperature changes.
The collection was inspired by opposing concepts of chaos and noise, peace and stillness, colours and transparency, connections and independence. The central ‘body’ of each vessel is clear, transparent glass onto which colourful glass gestures – such as blue squiggles, red dots, green arcs or yellow lines, are fused to the surface in different patterns. Each piece is unique. The lamps and vessels are playful and joyful, animated in a way, and call to mind post-modern shapes and forms as well as references to the free-thinking gestures of Miro. A total of 11 pieces were made in the collection.
“I was thrilled to collaborate with these incredible skilled glass artisans with their historical knowledge of glass combined with their modern visions. These objects contain all the beauty, colors, flavors, noise, and peace that is India. As a part of Materiaaal’s Objects That Disobey, the Kaanch series reinvents the familiar, creating unexpected moments of thought, play, reflection, and surprise”, writes Diego Olivero.
The Kaanch Glass series was presented at Materiaaal during NYCxDesign Week and it was the winner of the “best in tabletop” award category during the event.
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