Lorenzo Passi

Glassblower

©Marco Menghi

Transforming glass

Lorenzo often uses light and music in his work
He loves to maintain the cut of the glass, the roughness of matter
He started working independently in 2013

Lorenzo Passi likes to define himself an artist, but the definition of researcher also applies to this young Milanese craftsman (he was born in 1985) who now lives and works in Venice. His work is characterised by constant research into the transformation of glass into something new that deviates from tradition both in shape and use. For a long time now, his experiments have led him to test himself with different materials, wood and metal above all, which he combines with glass in a challenging aesthetic and technical balance. “It’s not an easy task, especially given the different melting temperatures, which demand great attention and speed,” explains Lorenzo. “Nature is my primary source of inspiration; lately I have also been attracted to earth, which I like to blend into my works in order to achieve new results.”

Interview

©Marco Menghi

©Marco Menghi

How did a Milanese end up being a glassmaker in Venice?: I owe it to one of my grandfathers. I used to come and visit him as a boy, and I remember how fascinated I was by the glass that I would see scattered in the workshops around the city. After graduating from high school, it was only natural for me to choose glass to express my creativity.
Did you have some important teachers?: Many. My first master was Joan Cous in Bologna, then Giovanni Nicola, heir to Archimede Seguso, Oscar Zanetti, Andrea Costantini... For my artistic training I owe a lot to the three years I spent at the Nuutajärvi glass school in Finland.
What led you to Finland?: I was selected for an internship at one of the most important glassworks in Nuutajärvi. Unfortunately, only a few days after my arrival, the glassworks was shut down, the workers were fired and my internship vanished. I didn’t want to lose this important opportunity, so I enrolled in the school.
Is it difficult to work in Venice if you weren't born there?: Indeed. The master glassmakers in Murano can be competitive, and there is very little cooperation among them. However, Murano has one thing that is indispensable for my work: a perfect knowledge of glass and a competence that doesn’t exist anywhere else. Murano-made glass continues to be a mark of absolute excellence.

Lorenzo Passi is a master artisan: he began his career in 2007 and he started teaching in 2015