French designers Ronan and Erwan Bourullec have designed a series of diamond-shaped glass vases for Finnish brand Iittala (Ruutu means diamond or square in Finnish) . The designers say:
“Glass is a material that likes round shapes. By developing the strict shape we are reaching the limits of the material.”
I can well believe the above statement. I was fascinated by the delicate, elegant (yet also strangely robust) Ruutu vases when I saw them recently. And I can also believe it when I heard that it requires the most skilled craftsmen in the renowned Iittala glass factory to produce them. Apparently it takes seven craftsmen 24 hours to produce one vase; the glass is mouth-blown into a steel mould, then polished by hand to produce this “simplified masterpiece”.
The skill and craftsmanship required is evident in the delicacy of the outer corners of the Ruutu vases, where the glass narrows to the thinnest of shells. The crispness of the angle they’ve achieved seems so much at odds with the curves and fluid shapes we normally associate with glass and creates a fascinating and nerve-jangling tension. But then the middle angles of the diamonds widen reassuringly into a thicker layer of glass, and we can relax again – this is much more familiar ground. Iittala say “The fluidity of mouth blown glass and the vibrant quality of the flat surfaces create an elegant combination with the geometric shape”.
The Ruutu collection of vases is available in five sizes and seven colours, which can be fitted together in different arrangements to overlay the colours. When you see a grouping of all the different sizes and colours you instinctively want to play with them and make your own patterns and colour combinations – the designers call it a “game of composition”. I think the gorgeous amber and blue pairing above is particularly sumptuous.
You can see the stunning effects the different combinations make in the short video below, as well as get insights into the design process from the Bourullec brothers, and watch the glassblowers at work.
I loved this behind the scenes glimpse into the designing and making of the Ruutu vases. My favourite quote is at the end when one the glass blowers, Tapani Viljamaa, says:
It just fascinates me when I get to struggle with a material that is so alive. Because glass is alive, and it does not forgive if it is treated badly. It remembers. Glass has a memory.
The Ruutu vases are just beginning to retail now, and you can find them online in the UK at www.madeindesign.co.uk.
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