In the Middle East, traditional incense burners have been made out of many different materials including clay, metal, wood and stone. It is only through a collection proposed by Constantin Boym that these traditional designs are reinvented in glass. Produced in Veneto, Italy by glass master Massimo Lunardon, the objects are made using flameworked borosilicate glass (Pyrex) to create forms that are both clear and heat-resistant.
As the exhibition description explains, “The new objects are presented alongside their traditional prototypes from the region, to better illustrate the process of ‘learning’ and to highlight the dialectic between continuity and innovation.”