Lasvit has managed to gain an unparalleled and superior status over the years by continuously testing boundaries and aggressively testing limits in this delicate art form of glassmaking that has been practiced since ancient epochs. But in this most revolutionary work — in this most recent work titled ‘Herbarium Radiant’ — this ancient company does not just unveil yet another magnificent masterwork centered around lighting to be beheld by spectators coming in from afar. No, this is something greater than that; this is an entirely sensory experience where glass loses materiality to light in an entrancing dance in return. This poignant synergy allows both to flow towards each other and coalesce to constitute an intricate dialogue intermingling various themes around nature, passage through time, and mankind. This masterwork has been created with utmost attention to every detail and devotion by incredibly talented Head Designer Mária Čulenová in collaboration with the Head of Lighting Jan Formánek. It is an ethereal testament to this absolute and unwavering vision sustained by Lasvit in its quest for artistry and incessant innovation in design.
Suspended with delicate perfection in the vastness of midair is a lovely memory invoking the presence of frozen droplets of rain that remain perpetually in an instant, an instant full of motionlessness and utter loveliness. Every glass shard present in ‘Herbarium Radiant’ seems to have an entire cosmos contained in itself, full of an assortment of stories yet to be told and discoveries to be known. Irregular in shape and taking an organic form, these glass sculptures have been infused with various oxides that have been repurposed in a material that was otherwise to be thrown away. Far beyond mere embellishments, these sculptures contain in full a geological history about our planet. Alluding in miniature to the complicated layering that forms ancient rocks, these sculptures beautifully replicate in miniature form the delicate convolution of fossilized fronds’ veining in concert with stones worn down to rubble through relentless seasons over millions of centuries. Taken in aggregate, all these detailed textures constitute an opulent rhetoric in visuals that strongly addresses the unhurried yet inexorable power of Nature, such as heat, compression, and erosional dissection, meticulously contained in glass that is in turn both vulnerable to injury, fragility in strength, yet full of elegance.
The intricate and entrancing dance of light created in this veritably sublime installation can only be described in nothing short of an alchemical process defying ordinary vision. Lighting this installation is done by thoughtfully placed sources located above, which enables these exquisitely shaped forms to have an exceptional capacity to refract and diffuse light into an entrancing glow that is veritably ethereal in substance. As lighting changes and moves about in fluid motion, it changes effortlessly between rich blues echoing vastnesses in oceans to ethereal spectral blues that flow in delicate tints of violet coloring in around them in a rich and vivid hue to captivate all who lay eyes upon it. This entrancing metamorphosis in lighting is by no means an illusion to the eyes only; in reality, it transcends mere limitations in mere design to an abstruse emotional experience to those who have been lucky to lay eyes upon it. It recalls visions in starry tinsels reflected in waters that glow with bioluminescence while echoing delicate iridescence created by sunrise’s delicate embrace in sunlight passing through snow-kissed tree limbs while recalling the entrancing spectral glow created by luminous gems secreted in the depths of our planet’s crust. Every delicate variation in lighting draws an observer in intricately, leading them to venture into an abstract dreamscape akin to intense feelings created by beholding various depths in an empty void in a crystal cave or by beholding luminous tendrils in an ethereal nebula majestically hovering in boundless expanses of the cosmos.
Beyond its undeniable elegance and startling visual presence, ‘Herbarium Radiant’ is an ultimate testament to Lasvit’s absolute devotion to the ideals of sustainability and an enduring quest to continuously reinvent. This reflective and discerning reintroduction of repurposed material not only serves to challenge and reinvent convention in an artistry century bound by precedent, but also to marry this revolutionary process to an extended context around themes of renewal and change. In an era where luxury and responsibility have to coalesce in every imaginable manner, Lasvit boldly illustrates that true artistry and an act of innovation lies not in simply bringing something entirely original to life, but in the immense capacity to bring life to something through an act of re-visioning potential in everything around us. Waste in this inspiring context is repurposed and retransformed not to be simply an artifact or remnant of something in bygone times, but an active vessel carrying with it potential untold in the form of untold stories — just as ancient civilizations repurposed material to leave behind lasting testimonials in the forms of enduring monuments. These enduring testimonials have endured through centuries and remain as enduring legacies to their respective communities — a testament to the continuity and strength of human artistry and craftsmanship.
What perhaps is most intriguing and enthralling about ‘Herbarium Radiant’ is its outstanding ability to achieve an amazing balance — an artful balance between the fragility’s delicate nuances and the durability’s solid qualities. Similar to ancient legends and immortal myths that tastefully interweave magical stories about gods painstakingly and thoughtfully shaping the cosmos from life’s innate randomness, Lasvit has masterfully and imaginatively used raw material that otherwise would have been regarded as abandoned or forgotten. In an act of genius artistry, these raw materials have been reshaped into an ethereal starry sky composed magnificently of glittering glass and luminous light. This visionary work results in an installation that is uniquely both timeless yet ephemeral; an instant in time that has been captured in an exalted manner, in an entrancing condition of suspended animation that irresistibly attracts spectators who remain awed by its sublime loveliness. In ‘Herbarium Radiant,’ Lasvit takes an in-depth philosophical journey through an abiding yet incredibly powerful reality: that lighting is not just about lighting; it is about carrying an emotional value, representing something concrete in connection to our recollections, actively influencing and developing our perceptions about this reality around us. This outstanding work is considerably beyond an ordinary lighting fixture; it is an experience in every imaginable way: by changing one’s perspective, yet another intriguing aspect comes to life, featuring an amazing specimen of modern artistry passionately entwined with the marvelous geological formations and rich mythology background that have strongly shaped our collective imagination about this reality. This is an irresistible call to travel to an exclusive and novel domain where substance is in perfect balance with lighting to ultimately pursue something not only transcendent but inspiring in reality.
Brand: LASVIT
Designers: Maria Culenova
