40 Years of Ragno impressed in the Magic of Glass
Glass
An ancient, ancestral material, made of silicon and carbonates, generated by the earth, which over the centuries has become like the sky. An organic mixture of homogeneous melted substances whose composition has undergone considerable changes over time, without ever losing its ethereal nature, imbued with a sacredness that has always been able to arouse enchantment.
Light, reflections, transparency. The essence of glass can be summed up in a single word: emotion. It was precisely the attraction to such a magical and precious material for the future of mankind that motivated Vittorio Livi to undertake a project that seemed even unthinkable at that time, to make glass become a protagonist in the world of furniture.
“Enchantment and poetry, that is what glass still conveys to me. The enchantment of a timeless material. Poetry is the vanity of a material capable of reflecting what surrounds us and multiplying our points of view on reality.”
Hence in 1973 from an intuition the first collection of FIAM Italia, entirely composed of pieces of furniture in curved glass, was born. From accessory element, commonly used in windows or for the doors of wooden cabinets, glass becomes a prominent material in the domestic environment.
The ‘absent protagonism’ of the first furnishings made by FIAM, characterised by overlapping transparencies, was expressed in the proposal of monolithic complements capable of strongly characterising the identity of the space.
A sophisticated aesthetic sense of elegance and refinement that can be found in many of FIAM’s most iconic pieces such as the Onda pouf (first work), the Ghost armchair designed by Cini Boeri and the Ragno dining table.
Undisputed emblem of timeless elegance, Ragno was the first monolithic glass table in the history of design and perfectly represents that relationship between dream and reality that gave rise to an adventure between design and industry. The avant-garde nature of this dining table is resolved in the softness of its features and the sinuosity of its geometry, a perfect synthesis of material and function.
The technique of glass bending sees in Ragno one of its highest expressions.
Passion, technical innovation and craftsmanship are the three ingredients that combine to transform a transparent, formless sheet into a functional object imbued with meaning and in continuous dialogue with its surrounding space.
a limited edition to celebrate its 40th anniversary
To mark the 40th anniversary of the birth of this icon, FIAM Italia will launch a limited edition of 9 pieces, marked with an indelible logo in pure gold, numbered and signed personally by its creator, Vittorio Livi.
The Lateral Thinking of Glass, which is the ability to see in its liquid and malleable state a material that is commonly perceived as solid and unalterable, has opened up new horizons for us through incessant research and experimentation.
From overcoming the traditional transparency of the material to the realisation of unprecedented textures, the result of innovative fusion techniques, from the introduction of new materials to the development of processes centred on the reintegration of recycled materials of increased value in the supply chain.
The beacons of our past trace the way into the future. It is no longer just a matter of mere glass, but of a vitreous substance, which asks to become manifest in its multifaceted nature: with our fusions, diversities are emphasised and become noteworthy ‘special signs’, which can thus be freed from labels and also enter into communion with other essences.