The artist who talks to artists
- Andrea learned his trade by blowing glass goblets
- To avoid the stifling heat, he works only in the morning
- He collaborates with renowned artists and designers
Andrea Zilio laughingly says that he has lost his own personality. That’s because in the past few years, his work has been a succession of appointments written on a sheet of paper hanging in front of his workbench. A long list of names – mainly designers and artists, but also ordinary people eager to test their skills – who know that they are welcome in the Fornace Anfora. This is the place where an idea – or at times just the first inkling of one – can be translated into a marvellous glass creation. They are entirely free-blown, without the aid of a mould. Andrea Zilio is as proud of this technique as if it were a shining medal, because he developed it almost accidentally, through daily practice.
Interview
- How did you become one of the most appreciated glass masters in Murano?
- Fate decided for me. I used to work with wood, which is a completely different craft. Then one day I found myself without a job, due to disagreements with my boss. My brother-in-law, who was the owner of the Fornace Anfora, asked me to lend a hand – not in the glassworks, but packing the finished products.
- When did you develop a passion for working with glass?
- In the late afternoons, when the glassworkers used to go home, I would make my own little experiments to shape and mould the material with which I worked every day. Then one day there was a vacant job in the 'piazza', and my brother-in-law asked me if I was seriously interested.
- What is the 'piazza' in glassworking jargon?
- In a glass workshop, it designates the trio of a master, his assistant and the serventino who assists both. It represents the traditional progression of a glassblower’s career, a path followed to this day. When you step into our glass workshop, it’s like going back centuries in time.
- What is the most interesting aspect of working with other creators?
- To discover each other and spend time together. When I start a new project with someone I don’t know, I always invite them to spend some days together here at the furnace. It’s the only way to create a synergy that can lead to excellent results, to build the symbiosis that is the basis of my work.
Andrea Zilio is a master artisan: he began his career in 1987 and he started teaching in 2000
Works
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Andrea Zilio
