iDOGI Furnace, Sacca Serenella 18, Murano – Italy

On the occasion of the Venice Glass Week, iDOGI unveiled “Urania”, a sculpture of glass and light inspired by the Muse of Astronomy, opening the doors of the new Murano furnace redesigned in a contemporary key as a creative hub. The Venetian company, renowned for the creation of majestic chandeliers, sculptures and furnishings in Venetian artistic glass, tells of itself starting from its most recent project: the imposing chandelier in the magnificent Old War Office building inaugurated on 29 September in London.

Urania

In Greek mythology, Urania is the muse of astronomy, geometry and related arts. It reflects man’s tension towards the exact sciences and the fascination for the stars. Like the classical divinity, the new luminous sculpture from the “The Muses” series is a creature of sky and light. The work – 175 cm in diameter by 250 cm in height – is designed as an upside-down, self-supporting chandelier. Made with over a thousand elements, each finely forged and handcrafted, “Urania” is composed of glass globes that appear to rotate around the main axis, creating orbits having oblique trajectories.

“This new muse fascinates with its harmonious and mysterious dynamism like the one of the sky. In creating it, our Style Office had to deal, in terms of weights, shapes and volumes, with the need to guarantee a perfect balance of the same on oblique and asymmetrical axes. Like celestial bodies in motion, all elements of Urania counterbalance each other thanks to the laws of physics.” Domenico Caminiti, President of iDOGI, explained to us. Inspired by classical deities, “The Muses” is a collection of unique sculptures dedicated to the arts, sciences and crafts linked to the city of Venice, the land of inventors and explorers, architects and sailors. The first Muse, “Dance”, exhibited last year at the Footwear Museum of Villa Foscarini Rossi in Stra of the LVMH group, is a joyful explosion of colours and transparencies following each other in a kaleidoscopic swirl.

The new furnace

On the occasion of the Venice Glass Week, iDOGI, as mentioned, opened the doors of its recently restored Murano furnace.

“Murano is a casket that holds an all-Italian secular art. The challenges are many and important. In this context, we wanted to conceive a new generation furnace that combines design, heritage and the future. A hybrid and 360-degree experimentation space.”continues Domenico Caminiti. “A creative hub, a place of inspiration and research where designers can meet and give shape to their ideas. With this in mind, for some years we have also had active collaborations with the IUAV – the University of Architecture of Venice” because we strongly believe in young people and their ability to create beauty for the future.”

Located in Sacca Serenella 18, on the tip of Murano, the new furnace welcomes visitors in a contemporary loft with a distinct post-industrial flavour and a breathtaking view of the lagoon. Fine furnishings interact with imposing chandeliers in Venetian artistic glass, giving life to an unusual ‘precious informality’. An internal courtyard connects the loft with the actual furnace. The “Creative Room” is entirely dedicated to inspirations and projects. A large work table dominates the centre where to draw, discuss and create. On the walls, large shelves with prestigious glass and crystal elements, semi-finished parts, vases, and chandeliers from all eras populate the room and offer endless creative ideas.

Outside the furnace, on the shore facing the lagoon, stands the “Tree of Light” work, a glass willow that lights up with the changing colours of twilight at sunset. Composed solely of bushes, the glass elements that cover the arms of Venetian chandeliers, the installation is the spatial, plastic and emotional transposition of a children’s fairy tale. “Albero di Luce is a tribute to the magical charm of Venetian artistic glass, its ability to enchant, tell stories and shed light on our dreams and aspirations,” concludes Domenico Caminiti. The luminous sculpture is the first work of art that welcomes visitors heading to Venice from the airport.

On 29 September “The Old War Office” was inaugurated in London, a prestigious historic building from which Churchill directed World War II operations. Above the monumental staircase of the main hall, “Meridies” shines, the imposing chandelier created by iDOGI and commissioned by the well-known Hinduja family, one of the most important in the United Kingdom, with which the company has a consolidated relationship of trust and collaboration. More than 8 meters tall and with a diameter of 2.3 metres, “Meridies” is made up of 96 lights and over 3,000 elements in blown and hand-crafted Venetian crystal. It took a team of highly specialized designers and craftsmen over a year to create it.

Meridies image credits: “Meridies chandelier by iDOGI at the Old War Office, London – Photo by Tom St. Aubyn Photography Ltd.”

Credits of all other images “Photo by iDOGI”

iDOGI is a company founded in 1968, based in Venice, renowned for the ‘bespoke’ creation of majestic Venetian artistic glass chandeliers, sculptures and furnishings for some of the most exclusive palaces and residences in the world. Its luminous collections include extraordinary designer pieces, tables, balustrades and crystal fountains. All creations are custom-designed by a team of expert designers from the company’s Style Office and handcrafted by the best glass masters to meet the expectations of the most prestigious customers.

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