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“Melting” Vases Blur the Line Between Strength and Fragility

In his Indefinite Vases series, designer Erik Olovsson of Studio E.O juxtaposes smooth, rounded vessels of hand-blown glass against clear-cut geometric slabs of patterned stone. In some of the pieces, the glass appears draped or melted over angled edges of granite and onyx; in others, the bulb-shaped containers sit perched in open slices of marble.

The designs can serve either as decorative sculptures or functional holders for flowers or sprigs of greenery. Olovsson explains that each one is intended to explore the relationship between space and object through an interplay of stark contrasts: the transparent versus the opaque, the geometric versus the organic, the fragile versus the solid. He cites many features of the stone material as inspiration, including its weight, patterns, geological history, and permanence; as for the glass, he told Dezeen: “[It] is interesting because of its indefinite and unpredictable properties.” He added, “Since glass is a new material for me to work with it gives an extra element of letting go of control that I like. At the time the glass is solidified in a specific form you've captured a moment of time.”

Whether intentionally or not, the project does seem to symbolize the human yearning to manipulate time, comparing the fluidity of the present moment against unchangeable history that's literally set in stone.

Erik Olovsson/Studio E.O: Website | Facebook | Instagram
via [Dezeen]

All images via Studio E.O.

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