Wilmotte – Murano

The book presents the work of French designer Jean-Michel Wilmotte through crafts.

Celebrating the unique skills of glassblowers and glass artisans, Wilmotte’s collection “Vessels” is a mix of nostalgia and modernity. Works, mainly inspired by his childhood's memories and objects in his father’s pharmaceutical laboratory, are made in historical workshops of Murano (an island in the Venetian Lagoon known alla around the world for the glass creations of its artisans).

Chandeliers, table lamps, vases and other objects presented in this book are made for public and private spaces and are displayed in hotels, theaters, train stations and offices in many countries.

Glass is a material both simple to make and difficult to work with. It offers infinite creative possibilites for those who know how to master it. The collaboration between Wilmotte and Murano’s craftsmen results in unique works playing with forms and supports. The designer’s vision spreads through all the glass creations. Transparency and malleability of glass allow delicate art works with sharp lines and this material is perfect to emphasize symmetry and equilibrium – which are key themes in Wilmotte’s work. The photographs of this book, exclusively taken at Venice, suggest travelling through the city and its artisans’ workshops.

Alessandra Chemollo’s work confront Venice of postcards and Wilmotte’s creations in pictures playing with light and reflections. Architecture and craftsmanship are mixed, in a quest for continuity and complementarity.

About the Author

Alessandra Chemollo is a photographer who gratuated from the University Institute of Architecture of Venice (IUAV); she works on the relationship between humain and architecture in her photographs of landscapes and monuments. She also teaches at the IUAV and won several photography prizes.

Luigi “Gigi” Ferrigno is a photographer based in Venice and strongly influenced by photo reportage, he immortalizes the daily life of his city and its inhabitants in black and white pictures.