The collaboration between Venini and Peter Marino is one of those unexpected and surprising partnerships, destined to endure. On one hand, Venini, guardian of Muranese artistic tradition and a symbol of elegance shaped in blown glass; on the other, New York archistar Peter Marino, with his audacious and unconventional spirit. The encounter between these two creative visions has pushed glass beyond its traditional boundaries, transforming it into an ultra-contemporary, architectural, almost glamorous form.
This experimental drive continues to define their collaboration this year. Following the Gran Bulbo, Cilindro Sommerso, and Black Belt vase series, and the Parallelo, Cilindro, and Rotondo lamps, the new On the Rocks lighting collection is now arriving, set to officially debut at Milan Design Week. On the Rocks represents the ideal synthesis of its creators’ design philosophy, blending a ‘power’ aesthetic with artisanal savoir-faire. The collection – comprising a family of four lighting elements, both floor and table lamps – features a sculptural base made of Zimbabwe black marble, supporting one or more hand-blown Murano glass cubes.
The result is a lamp with an apparently rigorous character but a soft soul, thanks to the delicate, diffused light it emits. The glass elements are crafted using the traditional *pulegoso* technique, which involves incorporating minute air bubbles within the glass mass. This process gives the surface a porous, almost geological character, allowing light to filter through with a subtle and organic luminosity.
This collection is thus another opportunity for Venini to rediscover and bring to light ancient glassmaking techniques, preserved and handed down by its master glassmakers. An approach already adopted with the sommerso technique, used for example in the Black Belt collection, which creates multiple superimposed layers of different colors with a profound chromatic effect. With On the Rocks, Venini thus expands its Art Light line, enhancing glass art through light and its dramatic effects. The new collection will therefore be featured in a double exhibition: at the Venini showroom in Piazza San Babila, in the heart of the city, and at Salone del Mobile.Milano.
