Stone Age Glass

DESCRIPTION

These crystal gobelets were part of the show called Back to Origins, presented during Milan Design Week 2019 in Alcova Sassetti, curated by Alice Stori Liechstenstein, Studio Vedet and Space Caviar.

It’s a tribute to the Stone Age – when human identity, social progress and behavioural modernity developed with the first useful tools. Alissa Volchkova is back here to the natural state of crystal glass, defying the notions of beauty – usually associated to perfection, regularity, softness and symmetry. She uses this natural material, considered today as luxurious in a paradoxical, irregular and imperfect way. Through this rough approach her aim is to challenge our perception of this material, usually presented polished, shiny, transparent with perfect symmetrycal lines.

The final aspect of crystal here is imperfect: mat, rough, irregular – opposite to what we are used with this precious matter. She’s imitating the primitive and simple making techniques that humans of the Sone Age era developed, such as carving, breaking, cutting,…using a simple knife. Instinctive gestures shapes these objects without thinking about their final shape. Our manners are influenced by the weight and thickness of the glasses that are very heavy, reminding the weight of the stones: instead of taking them with a subtle and careful gesture – as we would do with a glass of wine – we hold them in a primitive way. The green and pink colour duality is a natural colour of crystals found in nature, like turmaline.

Any colour and size possible – Please note that each piece is unique, it is impossible to reproduce exactly the same.