Passing by on the way to Venice from Marco Polo airport, Sacca Serenella is one of the seven islands that make up the archipelago of the Venetian lagoon that also includes the more famous Murano. Here is the new home of iDogi, the Venetian furnace specialising in glassblowing. The history of this furnace began right here, in 1968, with the bespoke production of majestic chandeliers, sculptures and furnishings in Venetian art glass. Taken over in recent years by Domenico Caminiti, who represents the second generation of the company, iDogi has taken over a traditional Murano furnace to restore it and transform it into a contemporary venue that reinterprets the tradition of glass in a contemporary and creative way.
“Murano is a treasure chest that holds a centuries-old Italian art. The challenges are many and important. In this context, we wanted to conceive a new generation furnace that combines design, heritage and future. A hybrid space for all-round experimentation,” comments Domenico Caminiti, President of iDogi. “A creative hub, a place of inspiration and research where designers can meet and give shape to their ideas. It is with this in mind that we have also had active collaborations with the IUAV – the University of Architecture of Venice – for some years now, because we strongly believe in young people and their ability to create beauty for the future.”
The new furnace welcomes visitors in a contemporary loft with a post-industrial flavour and an extraordinary view of the lagoon. Vintage furnishings dialogue with the imposing Venetian art glass chandeliers that have characterised the kiln’s production for decades. The mix of elements creates an unusual atmosphere imbued with precious informality. From the loft, one passes to an inner courtyard that connects the buildings to each other and from which one accesses the furnace proper. From the furnace one can then move on to what is called the ‘creative room’, a space dedicated to inspirations and projects. In the centre dominates a large work table designed for confrontation and multi-handed creation. On the walls, large shelves filled with glass and crystal elements, semi-finished parts, vases and chandeliers from all eras populate the room, offering creative ideas.
Among the most recent projects presented by the furnace is the important commission of the scenic Meridien chandelier that towers above the monumental staircase of the entrance to Raffles London at The Old War Office and the artwork Urania. Conceived as an upside-down, self-supporting chandelier, Urania is composed of glass globes that appear to rotate around the main axis creating orbits with oblique trajectories, and made from over a thousand elements, each finely forged and handcrafted.
“This new muse fascinates with its harmonious and mysterious dynamism like that of the sky. In creating it, our Style Office was confronted, in terms of weights, shapes and volumes, with the need to ensure that they were perfectly balanced on oblique and asymmetrical axes. Like celestial bodies in motion, all the elements of Urania counterbalance each other thanks to the laws of physics,” Domenico Caminiti comments. Inspired by classical divinities, ‘Le Muse‘ is a collection of unique sculptures, each dedicated to the arts, sciences and crafts associated with the city of Venice, land of inventors and explorers, architects and sailors.
