Diretto Murano

The activity of the Anfora furnace of Murano, in operation since 1976, is a significant example of the transformation that production on the island is undergoing. Thus, alongside the craft production in series of glasses, vases and other objects exported world wide, there is an increasing collaboration with artists and designers who descend on the island and work side by side with master glassmakers to execute their creations. A expanding trend this which dates back to the 1980s but is now experiencing a true boom. The Anfora furnace is a forerunner in this field given that over 40% of the revenues of this glass company, directed by Renzo Ferro with the master glassblower Andrea Zilio, come from working for glass artists and designers such as Yoichi Ohira and Ritsue Mishima from Japan, Melvin Anderson from the US and the Italians Massimo Micheluzzi and Michele Burato. This activity engages the furnace for at least two days a week. Andrea Zilio, a glass artists himself who is particularly interested in the “organic” approach to glass working inspired by natural elements and has exhibited in Holland and in Japan, explains: “The Anfora used to be one of the few furnaces on the island specialising in the production of drinking glasses. Nowadays, it has become quite easy to set up a furnace specialising in this kind of production, the raw material is cheap and competition is very stiff, due also to the fact that foreign buyers are more interested in the price than in the quality of manufacture. In addition, there is no such thing as a standard of reference for prices and therefore those who sell at a price even slightly lower are, despite their inferior quality, very likely to exclude from the market those who still aim at a high quality product, as we do. Furthermore, glass falls into the category of non-essential goods and is therefore one of the first products to be affected by a crisis. This is why we decided to diversify our work focusing on project-based collaboration with glass artists who are interested in creating their pieces here in Murano. As a result of this, the furnace has gradually dropped its production of imitation antique glasses of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries to concentrate on this new activity”.
During the summer Andrea Zilio holds practical courses on glass making in Seattle, USA, and exhibits his work in Tokyo (Japan).
“Japan and the Unites States,” he argues, “are quite advanced in terms of craftsmanship. Glassmaking there is only for research whereas in Murano it is almost exclusively a matter of production. Overseas countries are not acquainted with this latter approach yet. They will produce in one hour objects which in Murano are made in ten minutes. Time is indeed a major issue because in Murano we are so concerned with producing that there is no time left for experimenting. The great Muranese glass masters of the past, such as Archimede Seguso and Arturo Barbini, followed a different rhythm which they themselves established and could afford to experiment without suffering the exasperated competitiveness to which we master glassmakers are now subjected on the island. Those who work with glass eight hours a day, every day cannot become artists, they cannot even spare the time to think. Lino Tagliapietra, a great name in Muranese glassmaking who has now gained international renown, become what he is only after he retired and could finally dedicate himself to research and experiment. There should be room for some form of specialisation because hyper-production is ’killing’ creativity”. This is why Andrea Zilio is cautious about the future of the island of glass. “I cannot see it being easy,” is his comment, “although we are not affected by international competition since they are not able to imitate our working techniques abroad. This can happen with heavy glass, as is the case with the products from Taiwan which are invading the low cost end of the market, but not with blown glass.”

Enrico Tantucci