Revolution
Watercolors by Rachel Spiller
My first glassware collection began as a self-initiated project Inspired by an elaborate evening of dining and drinking with friends. Seeking to streamline the visual language and to modernize the experience of formal dining, Revolution builds upon my architectural training and introduces a line of tableware with minimalist forms. Consistent ratios and datum are the hallmark of the collection. Each piece has a dual function, suggesting a new measure of use when turned upside down. In 2001, the collection was prototyped and picked up by the design press in Italy and the U.S. Individual pieces were initially licensed to a number of notable Italian brands. In 2009, I rescinded the licensing rights in order to produce the full line and to manufacture and distribute the collection in my own name. Revolution glassware was the first offering of Fferrone Design.
Revolution, noun
1.a. the forcible overthrow of a social order in favor of a new system.
1.b. a dramatic and wide-reaching change in the way something works or is organized or in people’s ideas about it.
2.a. a turning round or rotating, an instance of revolving.
2.b. the movement of an object in a circular or elliptical course about a point or a center of mass: observing the revolution of rotation.
Revolution redefines the tablescape by challenging the archetypes of wine, water, flute, tumbler, liqueur glass, and bowl. Geometric forms create an ever-changing graphic representation with a perception of defying gravity. Objects function within a comprehensive system. Visual integrity is maintained regardless of the amount of liquid contained.
The concept—a flat elevated base formed by the connection of two cylindrical volumes—was achieved through the first use of borosilicate glass in a designed object for the domestic environment. Each piece is produced without the use of molds in the Czech Republic. Discoveries made during production led to ongoing experimentation and further lines of glassware—all industrially produced yet handcrafted by master artisans.
Revolution was designed from 2001–2014 and continues to be in production. The collection received a GOOD Design Award in 2004 and was inducted in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2009.
