The Milanese week of TheItalian Glass Weeks ends in a crescendo of emotions that characterized a multi-faceted event, representing the myriad of fascinating potential that glass offers to companies, artists, designers and architects.
While Milan gives the baton to Venice for the continuation of a historical event for the Italy of glass, we retrace, not without a veil of nostalgia, these last days of the kermesse in the Lombard capital.
Wednesday September 14th
The day was opened by a guided tour of Bagatti Valsecchi Museum, for the review "The ways of glass", event organized by AIHV Italian National Committee – Association Internationale pour l’Histoire du Verre. Visitors were able to admire the collection of glass placed in the windows of the dining room of the house museum, born from an extraordinary collecting event, dating back to the late nineteenth century.
At Milan Infopoint - Viesse Auto, Samuele Dossena, owner of Dossena Stained glass windows, introduced the participants to the steps leading to the creation of a artistic handcrafted stained glass window, with an in-depth study on the very rare technique of "fire" painting, better known as "grisaille". The participants put themselves to the test in first person, touching the tools of the glass craftsman and following the evolution of a work of art, in an unmissable all-round experience.
The afternoon continued in one of the main hubs of The Italian Glass Weeks: Santambrogio | Milan LaTerrazza, which for the occasion opened its doors to visitors to offer a breathtaking view of the city.
In the evening, the event organized by Ghenos Communication, at Milan Showroom - Tricolore Design Hub, celebrated the qualities of transparency and lightness of glass and its applications in the design sector. A green material, with infinite expressive possibilities, star of the set-up designed in this space: a selection of furnishings and accessories made by Tonelli Design, Blueside Emotional Design, with the friendly participation of Pieces of Venice and the background of a magnificent video by Nicola Donà.
Thursday September 15th
To light up the sixth day of The Italian Glass Weeks is the laboratory of Tiffany glass processing, designed by Serena Modolo. The course, hosted in the Infopoint - Viesse Auto, allowed participants to experiment with craftsmanship techniques and to build their own small tiffany window.
In the same location the third itinerary of "The Milan of Glass", tour promoted by the Foundation of the Order of Architects of Milan and guided by the expert and passionate words of the historian and critic of architecture Maria Vittoria Capitanucci.
And the afternoon of guided tours also involved the Civic Archaeological Museum of Milan, where numerous glass vessels from the first centuries after Christ are exhibited, coming from different excavation contexts. Among the specimens preserved in the Museum, the famous Trivulzio diatreta cup stands out, a splendid product of luxury craftsmanship from the XNUMXth century AD.
The official presentation of the Bianca Cappello's book: “Glass Jewels. From Prehistory to the III Millennium ". A work that succeeds in the titanic enterprise of telling the story of this wonderful material in its intersections with the evolution of human civilization, technological discoveries and relations and exchanges between peoples.
The day ended in the splendid setting of Santambrogio Terrace with the event "The scent of glass", curated by Santambrogiomilano and Glass Design Luxury Architecture. The suggestiveness of the title, recalling the rhetorical figure of the synecdoche, translates the multiple qualities of our beloved material into an effective and captivating slogan.
Friday September 16th
The theme of glass as a green material par excellence, recurring in some previous events of The Italian Glass Weeks, was fully affirmed during the round table “Green as glass - Green as glass. Innovation. Sustainability. Future.", organized by GIMAV in collaboration with Assolombarda. It was a unique opportunity for discussion between various exponents of the glass sector and its processing on the glass-energy binomial, through three thematic macro sections:
- green energy to produce glass and glass to produce green energy;
- glass to save energy;
- glass, green by nature.
At the close of the round table, the guests experienced an anticipation of the Premium Experience, which continued the next day together with members of the Community of Glass Associations. A tour that led the members to the now renowned hubs of the Glass Week Milanese, with arrival in Santambrogio Terrace for an evening of sharing between Vitrum and Assolombarda.
Saturday 17rd September
On the weekend of The Italian Glass Weeks was held at Palazzo Giureconsulti, theannual meeting of the International Community of Glass Association, which involves associations and technical publications of the sector from all over the world: an opportunity to share reflections on the projects started and the results achieved and lay the foundations for future activities.
The guests of the meeting, as anticipated, were then led along one Roadmap which has touched some of the most significant places of this Glass Week.
The evening, which pulls the ranks of the Milanese week, before the handover in Venice, is dedicated to the participants of the Community of Glass Associations meeting, for a last sunset in the wonderful setting of Santambrogio Terrace.
