Article by Anastassiya Grinina
When glass designer DROZHDINI first encountered a pile of discarded wooden moulds on the floor of a Murano factory, he saw more than scraps. Burnt, cracked, and embedded with history, they held the potential for a new type of form-making — one where the glass would not only respond to the mould but absorb its marks, its memory.
That moment became the foundation for Venezia, a series of modular blown glass vases created in close collaboration with Wave Murano Glass. Produced entirely on the island of Murano, the series explores how traditional tools — charred wooden moulds, open furnaces, muscle memory — can be used to create contemporary sculptural objects.
Material Tension and Technical Risk
The Venezia vases are made using a layered blowing process. Each vessel is composed of two stacked volumes, often with charred wood segments integrated between or inside the glass itself. Unlike industrial mould-blowing, the forms are guided by hand. The moulds burn and collapse as the object takes shape. The glass captures these imperfections — uneven walls, trapped bubbles, smoky textures — as part of its expressive identity.
We worked closely with Roberto Beltrami and his team at Wave Murano Glass, a workshop known not only for its mastery but for its innovations in energy efficiency and material experimentation. Their furnaces run year-round, and their approach allows for responsiveness — one of the reasons the collaboration worked.
Each vase is the result of a collective choreography: gaffer, assistant, re-heater, and coldworker all involved. Some pieces failed, others transformed mid-process. That unpredictability was embraced.
Why the Mould Matters
One of the most distinctive elements of the Venezia process is that we preserved the wooden moulds — in some cases, even presenting them alongside the glass in exhibitions. For us, they are not just tools, but part of the artwork’s narrative.
The choice to use reclaimed, scorched wood was deliberate. These moulds came from factory floors and retired studios. Some were cracked beyond usability. By reactivating them in the furnace — allowing them to smoke, splinter, and scorch again — the glass retained not just their shape, but their history.
From Workshop to Exhibition
The first versions of Venezia were shown at Rossana Orlandi Gallery in Milan. In 2025, we brought the newest pieces to Collect at Somerset House, where they were presented as part of our gallery’s curated installation. Visitors were often surprised to learn that these forms were not cast, but blown — and that their surface details were not decorative, but embedded through contact, fire, and collapse.
We documented the process throughout: the orange glow of the gather, the soot-stained moulds, the moment of lift-off from the pontil. These photographs are not simply archive material — they’re a way to show the labour, risk, and teamwork that glassblowing requires.
Continuing the Work
As curator and trained designer, my role was to shape the narrative — to help the object retain its origin story, not just its form. We continue to develop new Venezia works with Wave Murano Glass, each slightly different, slightly unstable. That’s what keeps the work alive.
In a world that often celebrates polished results, Venezia reminds us that surface is memory, and that even fire can leave a trace of care.
Credits
Project: Venezia (2024–2025)
Artist: DROZHDINI
Curator, creative direction, photography: Anastassiya Grinina
Gallery: NM Art & Design nmartd.com
Production: Wave Murano Glass (Murano, Italy)
Lead gaffer: Roberto Beltrami
About the Artist
DROZHDINI is a multidisciplinary artist and designer working primarily with glass. His practice lies at the intersection of contemporary form and traditional technique, often informed by deep material research and sculptural experimentation.
He is known for combining transparent blown glass with scorched wooden moulds, preserving the traces of fire, texture, and structural residue within each object. His work has been exhibited internationally and is included in the permanent collection of Sforza Castle in Milan. Since 2021, he has been represented by Spazio Rossana Orlandi, where his Venezia collection was first shown during Milan Design Week in collaboration with Wave Murano Glass.
DROZHDINI’s approach foregrounds process over perfection — honouring the collective labour of glassblowing while challenging traditional hierarchies between design, art, and craft.
About the Author
Anastassiya Grinina is a curator and art director focused on collectible design and material-led practices. She leads the curatorial direction of NM Art & Design, an international gallery presenting experimental work by contemporary designers and artisans. Her projects explore the emotional memory of materials and the intersection of craft, narrative, and form.
About the Workshop
Wave Murano Glass is a contemporary glass workshop based on the island of Murano (Venice), founded in 2017 by master glassblower Roberto Beltrami. Known for blending centuries-old techniques with technological innovation, the studio produces custom works for artists, designers, and leading international brands. It is the only Murano furnace equipped with a heat recuperation system, reducing energy consumption while maintaining traditional 24/7 production.
Wave Murano Glass is a certified member of the Vetro Artistico® di Murano mark, ensuring authenticity and full on-island fabrication. For the Venezia project, the team worked closely with the artist and curator to develop new forms, embrace risk, and document the collaborative nature of contemporary glassmaking.
