Bocci Fuses Blown Glass + Molten Aluminum in the 93 Collections

"93 is a late work emerging from a decade-long interrogation of the relationship between glass and metal. By calibrating their rates of expansion, we were able to work with the two materials without catastrophic failure. A thick-walled glass sphere is blown and aluminum is poured manually, producing a fluid metal silhouette."

"Light enters the glass wall and grazes the metal where they meet, expressing the act of making in a single gesture. Fully illuminated from within, the interceded orbs reveal their full idiosyncratic make-up; the implicit, almost fossilized, imprint of heat, pressure, and fire at work."

Bocci unveiled its 93 collection, a made-to-order lighting series developed through a decade-long investigation into glass and metal fusion. The process involves pouring molten aluminum into still-hot, hand-blown glass vessels, creating unique luminaires where two opposing materials merge successfully. By calibrating thermal expansion rates, the studio eliminated catastrophic failure risks. Concealed LEDs positioned within the cavities and through glass walls illuminate the pieces from inside, with interior metal disks diffusing light outward. The resulting iridescent orbs reveal the physical imprint of heat, pressure, and fire, expressing the manufacturing process itself while containing light's incorporeality.

Read at Design Milk