Bocci Fuses Blown Glass + Molten Aluminum in 93 Collections

Bocce just released it 93 collection in a spare Tribeca loft showcase, allowing the complex visual and visceral fixtures to carry their own. The multi-faceted studio and light brand – known for its experimental approach to material and production – developed the range of bespoke lighting by exploring what happens when molten aluminum is poured into hand-blown, ‘still hot’ glass vessels. The uniquely formed results are skillful demonstrations of what happens when two seemingly opposite forces merge.

To the surprise of the creator—those manning the blowers and crucibles at Bocci’s Vancouver headquarters/factory—the combination turns out to be compatible. It is the successful marriage of innate elements, transformed together from primordial natural states into new proprietary paradigms. It’s all alchemy.

“93 is a late work that emerged from a ten-year interrogation of the relationship between glass and metal,” says co-founder Bocci and Omer Arbel. “By calibrating their expansion rate, we were able to work with both materials without catastrophic failure. A thick-walled glass sphere is blown and the aluminum is cast by hand, creating a fluid metallic silhouette.”

For the end user, the hardened – but noticeably iridescent and typically variable – metal and clear glass work well together to contain the disembodied light. The effect is not merely decorative, but evidence of a new durable process and application that could be applied in endless ways.

“The light enters the glass wall and grazes the metal where they meet, expressing the act of construction in a single gesture,” adds Arbel.

According to Bocci, hidden LEDs point down into the cavities and laterally through the glass walls, while the internal metal discs diffuse the light outward. Fully illuminated from within, the mediated spheres reveal their full temperament. the silent, almost petrified, imprint of heat, pressure and fire at work, driven by minimal but more controlled intervention. As a result, no two are alike.

To see this and other works from the brand, visit bocci.com.

Photo courtesy of Fahim Kassam and Elliott Black.

Adrian Madlener is a Brussels-born, New York-based writer specializing in collectible and sustainable design. With a particular focus on themes that exemplify the best of craft-based experimentation, it is committed to supporting talent pushing the envelope across disciplines.