Yue Wu’s Wins the Autonoma Residency Prize
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This year, the Autonoma Residency Prize was awarded to Yue Wu’s Il Piatto dei Nove Draghi – The Nine Dragons Plate – a crystal disc on which the Chinese-born artist hand-carved a detailed scene of nine dragons – a powerful, recurrent motif associated with Chinese emperors since ancient times. Yue Wu, who is 28 years old, was selected by the jury for his impressive mastery of the technique, and for the balance of contemporary and traditional elements he achieved. The decision was part of Autonoma Prize’s commitment to supporting young, skilled craftspeople from around the world. Starting in 2024, Wu will take part in a two-month residency at Pilchuck Glass School, near Seattle, Washington.
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Our dear friend Carlo Pitau passed away this month. He was a renowned glass artist, maestro, and enthusiastic partner of the first three editions of our community project Autonoma – which, for two years, took place in his Fornace Pitau. Despite his traditional background, he was always open-minded and curious, consistently willing to share his knowledge, especially with younger people. Carlo was famous for his wit. He never got tired of talking and never let you out of his hotshop without first telling a joke – strictly in Venetian dialect, it goes without saying. He had started blowing glass at 12 and never stopped. From the factory he ran with his sister, Maria, Carlo crafted beautiful sculptures – including the glass clown series “Pagliacci,” his specialty, whose soft silhouettes and thoroughly thought-out color palettes made them unmistakable. (You won’t find finer glass clowns around.)
In 2019, we produced a short documentary about him, Il Crogiolo. “My first memory about glass,” Carlo says in the film, “is when I saw a big oven for the first time. It was full of glass. I started to learn how to extract the melted glass from the melting pot. I felt happy, enthusiastic.” Those feelings accompanied him throughout his life: He never got tired of blowing glass, not even at 83. We’ll treasure his memory as the happy, chatty, and inspiring human being he was.
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What Is Post Branding: How to Counter Fundamentalist Marketplace Semiotics
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Book tip by Isabella Vincenti
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This month’s reading was suggested by Isabella Vincenti, Laguna~B’s sales manager. With a background in economics and art management, she’s passionate about cinema, art, and the environment.
What is Post Branding: How to Counter Fundamentalist Marketplace Semiotics by Jason Grant and Oliver Vodeb was published in 2023 by Set Margins. The publication reimagines the concept of “branding,” exploring alternative scenarios where “branding strategies” could turn into empowering tools for activists rather than instruments serving big corporations and their “predatory principles.” “This small handbook presents a brief but comprehensive overview of the branding phenomenon and its ramifications: Everything around us has become a brand. With social media, even people themselves become brands. The book analyzes Post-branding through key principles and tangible examples, resulting in a work of ‘practical theory’ that is balanced between utopia and awareness,” Isabella explained.
The B~Library is an exciting Laguna~B side project. It is a book collection curated (and continuously updated) by @studio.bruno located at Spazio, in Dorsoduro 3276, Venice. Anyone can borrow any book every day from 10 AM to 7 PM. Come and visit! |
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The Barefoot Count: Town & Country’s Take on Marcantonio’s World
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An exciting 7-page feature appeared in Town & Country last week. It’s about Marcantonio and how he’s evolving Laguna~B based on his mother's legacy. It’s also a funny take on many contrasting aspects of our company – and of Marcantonio’s personality: A contemporary glass business striving to disrupt the field from a 16th century Palazzo; a creative director of noble descent who loves to walk barefoot. The issue also includes a piece about Diane Von Fürstenberg, a dear friend and neighbor whose Venice apartment is just upstairs from our offices. Long story short: This issue is a hit, and you should get your copy asap. In the meantime, here’s the online version.
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Our Connection to the Lagoon
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© Costanza Pelissero, ICCE 2024. |
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Earlier this month, Vital attended The International Conference on Coastal Engineering (ICCE) in Rome, a biennial event bringing together experts from around the world to discuss the latest developments in coastal engineering. The convention significantly increased the exposure of the Venice lagoon’s case, and fostered new connections with other nature-based projects and coastal engineers – whose experience will be relevant for Vital. Read more here. |
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Every month we update our Diary with behind-the-scenes photos from our everyday life at Laguna~B.
Check our September album here! |
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