Beautiful Bocci
Canada is not a country traditionally associated with glass blowing but Vancouver-based Bocci has been building a reputation for its striking hand-blown glass lighting since 2006. SYD spoke to creative director Omer Arbel about the company and what makes its pieces special.…
Canada is not a country traditionally associated with glass blowing but Vancouver-based Bocci has been building a reputation for its striking hand-blown glass lighting since 2006. Bocci began by producing its pieces in a renovated barn outside of Vancouver and in 2007 the company moved into a former printing press building in the center of the city. Creative director Omer Arbel has his own architectural studio Omer Arbel Office (OAO), designs everything from houses to furniture and was even awarded the commission for the Vancouver winter Olympic medal design in 2010. SYD spoke to him about Bocci and what makes its pieces special.
Bocci started when designer Omer Arbel was commissioned to design a penthouse with his own architectural studio OAO in 2006 for the man who ultimately became his business partner at Bocci. “As part of the interiors they asked me to designed a bespoke chandelier—the series 14—and pretty much everything took off from there,” he says. The 14 series chandelier challenged the concept for chandeliers as sculptural installations that are the visual focus of a room. Instead of a central sculptural object, the 14 series is an ambient chandelier that achieves its power through its composition and clustering, filling the volume of a room. It is this concept that forms the fundamental design philosophy of Bocci.
“I am not a glassblower,” says Omer Arbel. “My background is architecture and design. I collaborate with glassblowers, and many other craftspeople to invent new techniques of working.”
While Bocci’s hometown of Vancouver is probably one of the most beautiful places to be based, it isn’t exactly a design hub and Arbel explains that this can be a blessing and a curse. “Vancouver is on the periphery of the design scene, and as such is a difficult place to work,” he tells us. “We can find it hard to find ambitious projects locally. However, it is also for the very same reason a great place to work because we are forced to innovate and explore in order to flourish. Great ideas always come from the periphery.”
Arbel explains that what Bocci does is find a unique way of seeing materials and processes that it can apply to any craft. “At the moment, we collaborate with glassblowers, ceramicists, cabinetmakers and various experts in various techniques used to manipulate metals” The beauty of Bocci’s glass is that each one has natural imperfections that make each orb unique and show the care and craft that has gone into each piece. “Luxury is a term that is often confused by considerations relating to monetary value,” says Arbel. “In fact, luxury simply means that a great deal of care has gone into something: both in terms of thought and in terms of craft.”
Much of Bocci’s catalogue comes from pieces designed for residential projects that OAO works on. Arbel describes OAO’s buildings as ‘laboratories’ for design experiments that often end up in the Bocci catalogue. Bocci’s 22 outlets are an example of this, having started out as a bespoke one-off creation for a private residence and evolving into a core design in the Bocci range. It is not just production pieces for Bocci though the company does a lot of custom work on all scales.
These days, contemporary manufacturing often means outsourcing production, but Bocci is committed to manufacturing at its Vancouver factory. With a creative team of 30 people made up from technicians, engineers and craftspeople, Bocci is able to take its pieces from creation to completion. “We have a fully equipped glass blowing studio in the same building as our offices, warehouse and design studio, and off site locations for glass casting, ceramics and metal sand casting,” says Arbel, who feels that this means that they have more control over creative decisions.
According to Arbel, each glass orb takes about two hours to make, after which it is wired, tested and cleaned. Arbel works closely with the master craftsmen at Bocci’s atelier to develop new ways of working with glass, new fabrication techniques and methods, and there is a wealth of possibility for each fixture in terms of colour, material and configuration.
While Bocci haven’t worked on a superyacht just yet, it is only a matter of time. At the moment, the team is working on pieces for two houses in the US as well as a number of new chandeliers for Bocci’s range. Hopefully superyachts are next: “Boatbuilding involves so many different and highly skilled craftspeople. It would be a dream to apply our unique perspective to such an endeavour.”
Related Links:
Bocci - company profile
Bocci started when designer Omer Arbel was commissioned to design a penthouse with his own architectural studio OAO in 2006 for the man who ultimately became his business partner at Bocci. “As part of the interiors they asked me to designed a bespoke chandelier—the series 14—and pretty much everything took off from there,” he says. The 14 series chandelier challenged the concept for chandeliers as sculptural installations that are the visual focus of a room. Instead of a central sculptural object, the 14 series is an ambient chandelier that achieves its power through its composition and clustering, filling the volume of a room. It is this concept that forms the fundamental design philosophy of Bocci.
“I am not a glassblower,” says Omer Arbel. “My background is architecture and design. I collaborate with glassblowers, and many other craftspeople to invent new techniques of working.”
The 28 series pendant being made.
While Bocci’s hometown of Vancouver is probably one of the most beautiful places to be based, it isn’t exactly a design hub and Arbel explains that this can be a blessing and a curse. “Vancouver is on the periphery of the design scene, and as such is a difficult place to work,” he tells us. “We can find it hard to find ambitious projects locally. However, it is also for the very same reason a great place to work because we are forced to innovate and explore in order to flourish. Great ideas always come from the periphery.”
Arbel explains that what Bocci does is find a unique way of seeing materials and processes that it can apply to any craft. “At the moment, we collaborate with glassblowers, ceramicists, cabinetmakers and various experts in various techniques used to manipulate metals” The beauty of Bocci’s glass is that each one has natural imperfections that make each orb unique and show the care and craft that has gone into each piece. “Luxury is a term that is often confused by considerations relating to monetary value,” says Arbel. “In fact, luxury simply means that a great deal of care has gone into something: both in terms of thought and in terms of craft.”
14 series sconces.
Much of Bocci’s catalogue comes from pieces designed for residential projects that OAO works on. Arbel describes OAO’s buildings as ‘laboratories’ for design experiments that often end up in the Bocci catalogue. Bocci’s 22 outlets are an example of this, having started out as a bespoke one-off creation for a private residence and evolving into a core design in the Bocci range. It is not just production pieces for Bocci though the company does a lot of custom work on all scales.
These days, contemporary manufacturing often means outsourcing production, but Bocci is committed to manufacturing at its Vancouver factory. With a creative team of 30 people made up from technicians, engineers and craftspeople, Bocci is able to take its pieces from creation to completion. “We have a fully equipped glass blowing studio in the same building as our offices, warehouse and design studio, and off site locations for glass casting, ceramics and metal sand casting,” says Arbel, who feels that this means that they have more control over creative decisions.
The 28 series sconce.
According to Arbel, each glass orb takes about two hours to make, after which it is wired, tested and cleaned. Arbel works closely with the master craftsmen at Bocci’s atelier to develop new ways of working with glass, new fabrication techniques and methods, and there is a wealth of possibility for each fixture in terms of colour, material and configuration.
While Bocci haven’t worked on a superyacht just yet, it is only a matter of time. At the moment, the team is working on pieces for two houses in the US as well as a number of new chandeliers for Bocci’s range. Hopefully superyachts are next: “Boatbuilding involves so many different and highly skilled craftspeople. It would be a dream to apply our unique perspective to such an endeavour.”
Related Links:
Bocci - company profile
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