Nomad glass

Glassblowing is – art. Incredible shapes are made with a combination of several traditional techniques. In the hands of skilled glassblowers, molten glass appears alive as it is shaped through fire and air.

There are two main approaches to glass blowing – using  the furnace or using the burner. The kiln is an older method. When people think of old beautiful vases and lamps  they were created in the kiln. The technique of working on a burner is a recent invention, primarily because ancient civilizations did not have cylinders with compressed gasses at their disposal. The flamethrower is the tool of choice for street and art fairs because it is easily portable, and is also used in the classic manufacture of laboratory apparatus and accessories.

In our studio, we have three burners. Shaping and blowing glass on the burner requires great focus and concentration. Once the skill is acquired and perfected, the production process of small objects is relatively fast.. We mostly make glass jewelry and other decorative items that we are now combining with other mediums. We grow and develop through this creative process. 

Glassblowing and glass shaping is truly a skill that needs to be practiced for many hours over many months in order to understand  how the glass breathes and to learn how to manipulate it into the shapes and colors we imagine. The process itself teaches patience and tolerance.

In the space of our Živi Atelje DK we organize courses and presentations of glassblowing on a burner. This is our  attempt to preserve and spread old traditional skills in danger of being lost and forgotten.

The Mediterranean area is the cradle of the glassblowing craft and the history of ancient glass is an essential part of our cultural heritage. The tradition of glassmaking started over 5,000 years ago in Egypt and Mesopotamia but the specific technique of glassblowing has its origins in today’s Syria and Lebanon after the discovery of the use of the blow pipe. Eventually this knowledge spread throughout the ancient Roman Empire and into today’s Europe.

In Croatia, we had a strong glassmaking tradition especially in the Krapina-Zagorje, Istria region and the Požeško-Slavonska region to the east though this is growing weaker by the day. After the two major Croatian institutions that were focused on the glassmaking craft in Pula and Samobor closed in the 1980s, this part of our heritage was sentenced to inevitable decay and near oblivion as it is practiced by less than five professional enthusiasts. The remnants of the region’s glass art is part of a valuable collection at the Museum of Ancient Glass in Zadar.