Innovative and creative work
Richard Voit
CEO
NACHTMANN Jules
"How tradition and industry inspired functional modern design."
Jet turbines spoke to me because the inherent tension between their precise, intricate appearance, and their potential for power and force. I wanted to embody a feeling of robust strength that was at the same time delicate and refined to the touch. I tried to visualise the feeling of air streaming through a jet in a single static moment. Capturing the feeling of intense power while retaining a sense of refinement and delicateness in the fine lines and ridges of the range. When in flight, a jet gathers and distorts the air, and this is mirrored by the way the curves of the pattern gather and refract light.
// Oliver named the series after his grandmother, who was born in Austria.
This trip was the first time I was able to visit some of the places they grew up, giving me a new sense of connection and understanding with them.
NACHTMANN Punk
"How my punk attitude smashed the image of crystal"
In an art college environment that encourages edginess and unconventional creativity, my urge - in tune with the Punk movement - was to rebel and break out of the ordinary. I began by sketching some of the surfaces and textures of Punk, such as studs, spikes and grids.
Moving on from these liternal translations of key Punk visuals, I progressed to a broader interpretation of the movement, letting the attitude shape the form. I carefully researched NACHTMANN's approach to texture and patterns so I could merge this with the Punk style.
Designing a set of barware featuring areas that break out from the normal shape of the vessel, I broke out of the ordinary. Celebrating Punk's 40th anniversary, I also marked the juxtaposition of Punk and luxury, a trand that's currently making waves in fashion.
NACHTMANN Shu Fa
"How we found a whisky glass on a Chinese mountain"
Looking for inspiration, we examined Chinese calligraphy, in particular traditional calligraphic ink paintings. We were looking for a symbol or a letter stroke that could be translated into a shape in glass.
A stroke called 'pimacin', used to depict the structure and texture of mountain rock, had all the right attributes. As we explored the shape of each single stroke, our experiments with a 3D version proved that it could be applied to a vessel with dramatic results.
Treating the glass as our canvas, with the stroke creating an interesting texture and rhythm, our idea came to life in a striking way. To use, the calligraphic stroke we chose is gentle yet strong, and it works well in the medium of glass.
NACHTMANN Sculpture
"How I turned solid rock into crystal"
When I moved from Turkey to Sweden to study design I never imagined myself designing glassware.
But now I'm in love with the material. I think it's an amazing medium to explore light, reflections and refractions. It's more than a physical solid form ... it has another dimension that you can dig into and play with. For NextGen I went back to basics, to a rugged block of rock. I imagined a sculptor carving the rock and catching a glimpse of crystal. I wanted to capture the beauty inside. I was more interested in showing the process than the finished product ... showing the rough and the smooth. In Sculpture, the complexe geometry of the unfinished part of the crystal vase plays with the reflections of light. Together with the perfection of the finished parts and its brilliant light refraction, NACHTMANN creates a vase or glass that's more like a piece of sculpture.
NACHTMANN Quartz
"How I found Quartz near the East River"
I'm originally from Connecticut and Las Vegas, the most and least conservative places in the USA. Anyway, I've lived in Brooklyn for 12 years now, so I guess I'm a New Yorker.
I took on lots of projects during my time at Pratt, but NextGen was probably the most fulfilling. My initial inspiration came from geode rocks ... ordinary stones with crystals hidden inside. Apparently, quartz sand is one the basic raw materials for producing crystal glass and I was fascinated by the sparkling surface of its crystalline structure. I explored the possibility of patterning the inside - rather than the outside - of the vessel with a crystal pattern using the geode as a visual metaphor. In the end I decided that it was the pattern itself that should be showcased. The brilliant crystal and the pattern of the bowl have a wonderful sparkling light refraction that people seem to enjoy ... I know i do.
