Smoked Gauge Single Stem Vase by Jim Rokos for Giant Mountains of Bohemia Glassworks, 2016

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This 2017 german design award winner for excellent product design was mouth-blown in the giant mountains of bohemia glassworks. Each … Read more This 2017 german design award winner for excellent product design was mouth-blown in the giant mountains of bohemia glassworks. Each vase is engraved by the designer with a unique production number. This vase takes on the behavior of a flower. The water holds it upright, and as the flower drinks, the vase leans over as though wilting, letting us know that it needs topping up. When we bring flowers indoors, they are no longer animated by a breeze. When the flower's job is done, it would like to wilt, but it is held rigid by a vase. A gauge is a device that shows an amount of something. This vase indicates the level of remaining water, and can be read by the angle of the vase’s long neck. The gauge may be knocked over, but it will spring back up. It is designed for wobbling and will return to where it balances - upright when full, leaning when thirsty.
the crystal structure was mouth-blown in czechoslovakia, as it was called when the designer's grandparents lived there. Founded in 1712, the glassworks is the oldest glass factory in bohemia that still produces pieces. It is positioned on a mountain among the woods where water springs from the ground and quality glass sand is sourced nearby. A designer at the factory draws the design in a book, to keep a permanent record. This is traced by hand, each time a new mold is needed. The glass is mouth-blown into a mold which is carved from local beech, sourced from trunks located in a nearby lake. Only when the trunks touch the bottom of the lake, are they ready to be processed. The wet trunks are then taken out of the water and sliced into big pieces. Because the wood is saturated with water, the molten glass does not burn the mold so much and the delicate mold will last longer. The raw block of wood is fixed to a lathe and carved out with sharp chisels and great precision. The wooden block is cut in half, and fitted with locks and handles. A mold can produce up to around 80 pieces, by which time the shape has become distorted by the hot glass and it cannot be used anymore.
the jury statement for the german design award 2017 said of the piece: "a lovely idea that functions well and is wonderfully poetic thanks to the play of balance involved. The overall design of the vases radiates elegance and high quality." it was also the winner of the enterprise europe network award for new markets, 2014. The studio photographs pictured here were taken by john r. Ward. The piece has an ohim community design number of 002207779-0001 and a usa design patent number of us d727,081 s.
the piece should be washed with a little soap and warm water. Dry and let any water residue left inside drain, by placing it upside down in a corner or inside the top of a larger vase. Stubborn deposits may be removed with the decanter balls included.  signed by maker,numbered,signed by maker,numbered See less