The author of the vase series is Justyna Żak. The collection was created from a combination of art and design. It is part of the ZNIKAM project, which addresses the problem of melting mountain glaciers in the Alps. This reference is evidenced by the shape of the objects created, which are reminiscent of blocks of ice.
Everyone has many of these in their home. They are objects that not only have a practical function, but also carry a symbolic message. They become carriers of history, preserving events, situations, emotions and people in our memories. By their form, material type and manufacturing method, they can speak to us and awaken our thoughts.
In my design philosophy, I give objects a “voice” so that they can carry their story in our spaces,” admits Justyna Żak.
This is the idea behind the ZNIKAM project. It aims to draw attention towards the ecological crisis. It is a manifesto that encourages conversation and attempts to build social awareness. One of the most dramatic manifestations of this crisis is the melting of mountain glaciers in the Alps. Scientists are warning that half of them could disappear by 2050. This phenomenon will not only change the landscape, threatening mountain ecosystems, but will have a huge impact on the environment by raising sea levels.
In her project, Justyna Żak was inspired by blocks of ice. Under the influence of the high temperature of the glass, the ice gradually underwent an irreversible melting process, each time taking on a different shape. The original vases became the spatial record and documentation. The thermal shock resulting from the contact between the hot mass of glass and the ice creates cracks on the surface of the blown objects. The cracks reheated in the space of the smelting furnace fused together to form a decorative grid on the walls.
The direct inspiration for the ‘ZNIKAM’ project came from my hike on the trail around the Mont Blanc massif in August 2023. The view of the retreating ice floes seen from the pass, the sound of the ice cracking as it carried through the valleys, was agonisingly sad and disturbing, as well as being far from a sense of comfort becoming a symptom of a changing reality,” adds the designer.
The ZNIKAM project reached the final of the make me! 2024 organised as part of the Łódź Design Festival and was entered into the post-competition international glass exhibition in Milan.
About the designer:
Justyna Żak – designer, visual artist. Graduate of the Faculty of Ceramics and Glass at the E. Geppert Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław. Scientific and didactic employee in the glass department of the Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław. In 2021, she was awarded a doctorate in fine arts, in the discipline of design arts and conservation of works of art. Scholarship holder of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage (2020), winner of numerous national and international competitions including: 1st prize Up- Cycles- closed circulation is art (2022), distinction Młodzi na start Elle Decoratio (2023), finalist of the international competition makeme! Łódź Design Festival (2024)
In her creative work, she is mainly inspired by motifs drawn from craft traditions and travel. In particular, she travels to places where nature occurs in and around her, believing that universal questions and needs can be answered through a primal connection with nature, which she uses in her work as an artist.
source: Justyna Żak
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