In an old courtyard in the centre of Turin, in Italy, with a little bit of imagination, one can be taken in a fascinating tour of old Venice. All this thanks to an artist, originally from Bilbao, in Spain, who has “stolen” a litte corner of the famous Lagoon and opened the first and only glassblowing workshop of the city.
The project is called JoGa Glass, a concept as well as a space tought to create and exibit glassblown art. To do so the artist uses the ancient glass blowing techniques of Murano, revisiting them to please his own artistic taste, which in the years has been influenced thanks to his experiences in Spain, Scotland and Italy.
The Roll-Up Technique is an ancient technique which originates in the 1500s on the island of Murano and it is the same used to make the famous Murrine. In the furnace, everything strats with simple, tidy rods of coloured glass, which the artist chooses and puts together, always following his instinct and, at the same time, thinking of tradition and trying for innovation.
“To practise a technique which is equally clever and modern, my mind looks back to the Middle Ages and my body looks at Murano. This is the thought that allows me to work the coloured glass so effectively that I am able to convey it in what I am feeling the instant before blowing”.
The Furnace is tought to ba a space to create, and also to meet. A place open to everybody, every artistic influence and idea, open to suggestions of art lovers and creative people alike, anyone who likes to experiment.