Czech Republic

Czech designs Depicting culture and modern lifestyle

Be it glass, porcelain, beads, jewellery, fashion clothes or even the automotive industry, you can find their signature almost everywhere. Czech designs have made a name for themselves over the years in Europe and abroad. They landed in India in May to showcase their talents from traditional to contemporary to modern. The Czech Design Week presented a window into the lifestyle of the Czech people and their culture. Exhibitions in Delhi and Mumbai attracted people to witness legendary Czech designs and learn more about their designers.

The basic idea was to introduce, establish and strengthen the position of the famous Czech design trade brands in the Indian market and facilitate Czech designers’ future engagement with their Indian counterparts. Czech glassmaker have developed over the years numerous techniques which they subsequently brought to technical perfection. The Project wonders of Czech represents best selections of prominent Czech glass artist, wide range of Czech glass making technologies and modern innovative designs.

The Czech artisans are said to be the best at cut glasses in the world and the time taken in designing a glass is sometimes double the time what it usually takes to create one.

Czech claims to be different from other glass makers as it offers a wide range of design without the artificial usage of coloring done on the glasses, instead they have adopted a unique method of giving different colour by adding metal oxide of different proportion. Some great pieces are first painted and then polished by precious stones. Czech glass has developed a formula for manufacturing glass as hard as rock and as brilliant as lead crystal without using lead. The pieces showcased at Czech Designs are all hand made; some times it takes six to eight months to complete a master piece.

Famous glass designers like Jiri Pacinek, Jiri Tesar and Studio Olgoj Chorchoj presented during the week , have been awarded the prestigious ‘Czech Design 2010,’ ‘The Best Czech Product Design’ and ‘Grand Designer.’ Jiri Pacinek and engraver Jiri Tesar established themselves as original craftsmen and artist using new glass making technique. Traditional technology in combination with fresh approach of designer Rostislav Materka is represented by Marienberg. Artel glass is a young and highly progressive trade mark, designing decorative and innovative glass pieces. Crystalex produces popular glasswares.

The Czech designers are interested in developing a school of glass designing which will have top international designers as professors.