Design Products (MA)
Carlo Scanferlato
Sponsors
Vetreria Nuova Venier
ARSENALE 01
ARSENALE frontale
ARSENALE 01 touch control
making of Arsenale 01 2
making of Arsenale 01
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early stage prototypes JPG
![[untitled]](https://res.cloudinary.com/rca2020/image/upload/w_1920,f_auto,q_auto/v1594573287/gatsby-cloudinary/5f0b128e3edd747683e69e2a-956134-resize-1920-2560)
![[untitled]](https://res.cloudinary.com/rca2020/image/upload/w_1702,f_auto,q_auto/v1594573287/gatsby-cloudinary/5f0b128e3edd747683e69e2a-38188-resize-1920-2560)
After decades of avant-garde and innovation, the glass blowing tradition in Murano is now facing a controversial phase, where the lack of new masters and the struggle to survive in a fast paced world are forcing many manufacturers to shut down their workshops.
Coming from Venice myself, I decided to dedicate my MA final project to investigate new opportunities for this practice and its protagonists.
"Off the Dust" aims at disrupting the threshold where Murano Glass can be involved, stepping into new contexts to re-configure our relationship with it: from contemplative to interactive and social, redeeming it from the dusty shelves and old fashioned aesthetics it sits on.
To start this conversation, I had the opportunity to collaborate with a prominent furnace in Murano (Vetreria Nuova Venier), and spend time with the Masters who not only let me materialize my concept, but also to investigate the layers of this complex manufacturing hub, made of secrets, contradictions and often repressed wisdom.
The first outcome of my ongoing research is a series of home-integrated speakers where technology is concealed behind a sculptural object we are finally invited to touch, challenging the idea of Murano Glass as something we are only allowed to stare at passively.
The project looks at existing home-integrated products, their aesthetics, manufacturing processes, customisation and sustainability, questioning what "integration" to a space might mean.
The detachable aluminum tech body can be upgraded or simply returned to the manufacturer for recycling while the "envelope" (often made out of different plastics and non-recyclable materials) can be cherished as a unique piece of art. No one piece will be the same as the other, and the possibilities in terms of customisation of colors and finish are endless.
I collaborated with a Hi-Fi specialist in Venice to define the ideal shape and drivers to use, and managed to create an unexpectedly balanced sound experience, working with thick glass walls to avoid resonance issues.
Aluminum and glass ensure a highly sustainable process: a glass furnace has no waste, the cracked pieces and offcuts can be re-melted almost infinitely.
The collection of prototypes culminates with a final, functioning piece, ARSENALE 01, where the century-old "incamiciato" technique (colored glass and ceramic powders "trapped" in between layers of clear crystal) allowed me to work on color gradients with total freedom while hiding the internal technology, turning the latter into a subtle, unexpected surprise.
Tech and craft are fused together and integrated to interior spaces with a whole new language. Every prototype showcases different approaches and techniques from the Murano repertory, using its decorative elements to indicate the functions. The sensory properties of frosted and engraved glass are enhanced by the touch controls present on the speaker surface (triggered by invisible proximity sensors and a Bare Conductive board), indicated by symbols which are also a celebration of Venice architectural icons (The + and - for the volume are a stylisation of Palazzo Ducale's windows), adding a cultural layer to a social object, to enable its owner to keep such stories alive.
Coming from Venice myself, I decided to dedicate my MA final project to investigate new opportunities for this practice and its protagonists.
"Off the Dust" aims at disrupting the threshold where Murano Glass can be involved, stepping into new contexts to re-configure our relationship with it: from contemplative to interactive and social, redeeming it from the dusty shelves and old fashioned aesthetics it sits on.
To start this conversation, I had the opportunity to collaborate with a prominent furnace in Murano (Vetreria Nuova Venier), and spend time with the Masters who not only let me materialize my concept, but also to investigate the layers of this complex manufacturing hub, made of secrets, contradictions and often repressed wisdom.
The first outcome of my ongoing research is a series of home-integrated speakers where technology is concealed behind a sculptural object we are finally invited to touch, challenging the idea of Murano Glass as something we are only allowed to stare at passively.
The project looks at existing home-integrated products, their aesthetics, manufacturing processes, customisation and sustainability, questioning what "integration" to a space might mean.
The detachable aluminum tech body can be upgraded or simply returned to the manufacturer for recycling while the "envelope" (often made out of different plastics and non-recyclable materials) can be cherished as a unique piece of art. No one piece will be the same as the other, and the possibilities in terms of customisation of colors and finish are endless.
I collaborated with a Hi-Fi specialist in Venice to define the ideal shape and drivers to use, and managed to create an unexpectedly balanced sound experience, working with thick glass walls to avoid resonance issues.
Aluminum and glass ensure a highly sustainable process: a glass furnace has no waste, the cracked pieces and offcuts can be re-melted almost infinitely.
The collection of prototypes culminates with a final, functioning piece, ARSENALE 01, where the century-old "incamiciato" technique (colored glass and ceramic powders "trapped" in between layers of clear crystal) allowed me to work on color gradients with total freedom while hiding the internal technology, turning the latter into a subtle, unexpected surprise.
Tech and craft are fused together and integrated to interior spaces with a whole new language. Every prototype showcases different approaches and techniques from the Murano repertory, using its decorative elements to indicate the functions. The sensory properties of frosted and engraved glass are enhanced by the touch controls present on the speaker surface (triggered by invisible proximity sensors and a Bare Conductive board), indicated by symbols which are also a celebration of Venice architectural icons (The + and - for the volume are a stylisation of Palazzo Ducale's windows), adding a cultural layer to a social object, to enable its owner to keep such stories alive.
Medium:
Murano Glass, Copper, Electronics, Wood.Size:
17 x 17 x h30 cm, (+ various)In Collaboration with:
Glass Blowing furnace in Murano, Venice, fully sponsored and supported these experimentations around glass.
Coding support and development
Technical support, prototyping and refinment in the RCA Battersea workshops
Prototyping in Murano Venice
Murrine prototype detail
the sculpted surface refracting the tech body
FIRST PROTOTYPE made in the RCA workshop Battersea
"touch trumpet" close up
prototipo 2 / black
prototyping at Venier Murano
early prototyping in Murano
detail of Murrine prototype
combinations
making of Murrine prototype
SKETCH SPEAKER
Prototyping in Murano
Medium:
Murano Glass, Copper, ElectronicsSize:
variousIn Collaboration with:
Special thanks to the Masters and the furnace in Murano