When a Glacier Turns Into a River
By: Martina Freitagová
Photo: Jan Kuděj, Puf Creativ
Chilling Energy
The dream of a photograph of a glacier turning into a 3D image made of tangible structures came true thanks to the masterful craft of Lasvit designer Wanda Valihrachová. Fearless and bold, Wanda was not afraid of this ambitious commission from a client who lives side by side with the Swiss glacier and wanted to translate the chilling energy of nature into a glass masterpiece. “When he came to our first meeting to Nový Bor in Czech Republic, a glass brick, five to seven centimeters thick, caught his eye. I accepted the challenge,” says Wanda about the project’s beginnings.
Entering an Ice Cave
Although every piece’s thickness had to be reduced due to the weight constraints of the floors, the final piece consists of several dozen glass plates overlapping each other and shaping a cartographic model of numerous ice layers around 60 cm thick at the widest point. One piece could not weigh more than 50 kilos for it to be transported to location.
“Ice caves were the biggest inspiration for me, with their amazing curvaceous surfaces and play of light with the glass. My design for the glacier wall that accompanies you when you descend the adjoining staircase was supposed to evoke entering a cave,” describes Wanda.
The structure of an ice cave wall seems as if a sculptor has been meticulously chipping away at the ice. A similar effect has been created by the Czech glassmakers who worked as the prolonged hand of nature.
Sense of Home
This piece has been a gradual continuation of Lasvit’s and Wanda’s work in Switzerland, where they produced a glacier cave in the Cartier boutique using fused glass, making magic out of sand, water and fire. For many people, glaciers convey a sense of home and being able to bring a piece of glacier to your house is an immense privilege which brings the soothing feeling that man and nature can live in harmony.
Wanda Valihrachová
She likes unpredictability and artistic freedom linked to handmade creation. Her work shouts bold precision and translates impossible visions into very real glass masterpieces. After studying industrial design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bratislava, she launched a career with Lasvit spanning the entire world, from Hong Kong to London, from Paris to Dubai. She has been making custom-designed sculptures that enrich both private and public interiors. Wanda loves working with fused glass and has created 3D artworks for clients such as Cartier, Dior and Rolex.
