When Olympic Sports Meet Glass and Art

Glass hockey-player, snowboarder, and speed skater greeted the visitors of the Czech House at the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. Design of sculptures is inspired by movement, its lightness, and elegance. “I was trying to capture the peak moments of sports performances and preserve it in it’s short, fleeting beauty,” said about the statues Maxim Velcovsky, LASVIT´s very own art director.

Eye-catching glass sculptures are paying tribute to Czech sports stars who are accomplishing one success after another in their fields. During the creation process of the Sportsmen Velčovský had in mind all sports events he attended.

“Sometimes I’m absorbed by the atmosphere of the match, sportsmen’s energy and the excitement within the audience so much that I forget to watch the action itself; then I have to watch a recorded broadcast the other day to find out what really happened. This broadcast will one day become the only evidence of these remarkable performances of mankind for next generations. Series of documented unique moments caught from different views and angles. And these moments are exactly what The Sportsmen are about,” explained the designer.

The composition of the Sportsmen is made from technical glass usually used for chemical glassware or cooking glass. The final pieces are based on the contrast between the static silhouette and blurred shape of the sportsman’s body in motion.