Glass Half Full
Discovering the Joy of Glassware by Factory Zoomer
May 12-20, 2017
Nalata Nalata is pleased to announce a forthcoming exhibition of glassworks by Factory Zoomer. This exhibition welcomes the Kanazawa based glass atelier to New York for its first solo exhibition in America.
Central to the story is founder Kazumi Tsuji, who created the studio in 1999 and developed its signature style over the years. The Factory Zoomer collection combines the traditional blown-glass making method with a lengthy process of hand polishing, etching, tinting, cutting, or painting on glass.
As Kazumi Tsuji continues to evolve Factory Zoomer, she aims to widen the picture of contemporary glass, and to deepen the public’s appreciation and understanding of glass as everyday tableware. With their handcrafted idiosyncrasies, she believes that each piece can create a feeling of joy in the palm of your hand – for example, the ‘Snow Etched Glass’ comprised of hundreds of hand-etched dots, is a form with playfulness embedded within, making the simple act of drinking water more enjoyable.
It is our hopes that as the pieces are placed in more and more households around the world, this sentiment indeed resonates intimately amongst collectors of this special collection.
“… I invented a men-choko glass bowl, which is a little bit bigger than the existing soba-choko that is typically made with porcelain and used as dipping vessels for soba noodles in Japan. That was the beginning of glass tableware for me and men-choko has been selling ever since.” – Kazumi Tsuji
Alongside the main collection will be a special series of rock-cut whiskey glasses that we have designed in collaboration with Kazumi Tsuji. Offered in three different colours (gray, green, purple) and a clear version, these mouth-blown rock glasses feature hand-cut slashes and a smooth rim band for enjoying whiskey’s nuances with minimal interference. The cuts of the whiskey glass form an ‘N’, a ‘Z’, or an ‘X’, depending on your perspective, reminding us to look at things from different angles so that we can see the bigger picture every time we embark on a collaboration. Whether you like it neat, on the rocks, or in a cocktail, these glasses were designed to enhance the experience.
In addition, Kazumi Tsuji’s beloved black series will be available. The collection name, Nero is in reference to the incredibly deep black color achieved by sandwiching a layer of black glass between two layers of clear glass. A thin strip at the base of the pieces is left clear revealing the layers, an unparalleled skill of the factory zoomer studio and a feat in itself to achieve glass at this degree of darkness.
This exhibition coincides with NYCxDESIGN Week and will include a large selection of the factory zoomer mouth-blown glassware collection for purchase. Drinkware, pitchers, bowls, plates and containers will be available, all featuring the studio’s well known hand-etched, shinogi cut, painted white enameled, and black tinted techniques.
Kazumi Tsuji will be bringing confectionaries from her hometown of Kanazawa and a selection of Japanese whiskeys will be provided on opening night. Music will be provided by Paul Lewis. Floral design provided by Marisa Competello of Metaflora.
Read more about our visit to the artisan’s studio and home in Kanazawa here.
View a recap of the event here.