DESIGN >
Pebbles
Written by: Štěpánka Strouhalová
Photo by: Věroslav Sixt

Artist Filip Nízký's Fil-Lu Sphere studio engages in a broad range of glass-making activities. His interests span from original creations to mass-produced designs.

WHILE STUDYING under Professor Kopecký at the Institute of Applied Arts glass studio, Nízký had the chance to express himself not only in his own field but also in painting and sculpture, as well as in creating installations and designs. The younger glass-making generation usually builds on the legacy of Stanislav Libenský, a founder of modern glass art in the late 20th century. And Filip Nízký's design morphology also grew from liberal objects and forms in the spirit of the new-age Czech glass-making tradition. "I try to approach glass as a material for sculptures. My first designs were based on the simplest of forms - drops, lenses, and rounded shapes inspired by nature," the designer says. A typical characteristic of these softly shaped bowls and vases is shapes that look like they were formed by water. So he grinds and sands his works so their surfaces are matted, reminiscent of nuggets with a natural patina, so the cast silicon returns to its original stone form. To the organic shaping Nízký later added sharp cuts and edges. So his works combine matte surfaces with a technically perfect gloss, bringing a new optical dimension.
Nízký mainly uses the technology of glass cast in forms that he realizes in his studio, although he blows glass in glassworks like Kamenický Šenov or Železný Brod. The manufacturing technology requires a professional facility and the cooperation of a glass master. Because Nízký has sufficient experience in blowing, he can allow himself to approach the boundaries of the material's possibilities. sometimes he also enriches his earlier designs with unexpected improvisations.
The artist is currently preparing a collection of cut and painted vases in the classic style modified by abstract painting at the Moser glassworks. Thanks to the Erpet shop in Old Town Square, which displays both originals and designed glass from the Fil-Lu Sphere studio, Nízký's works have been bought by the Japanese imperial family and been included in private collections in Europe, the US, and Brazil. His greatest success to date is first prize at the Munich applied arts trade fair, Talente, which he won in 2000 for his collection of molded bowls

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