The Experience of Mosso Glasses

In the previous chapter, we told the story of how the Micheluzzi Glass project was born and how everything really sparkled by the idea of a new glassware line: our Mosso Glasses. In this second episode of our journal, we would like to tell you more about the inspiration and the process behind the creation of Mosso and why we have such a strong bonding with these glasses.

At the very beginning of our glass project, we were hunting for the right concept to launch our collection. The first cue come to us while researching in the furnace and looking through archive material, when we came across some deformed glasses. It is, in fact, common practice to pinch defected glasses while still soft. This way they can be identified from the good ones and discarded once cooled and solid. The shape of these glasses was slightly twisted and crumbled, each one different and unique in its imperfection, like the glass had a life of its own. We immediately thought this was the starting point to find our ‘perfect’ glassware line.

Developing the idea from this first hunch, we imagined a glass that was able to convey a sense of gentle and natural movement, almost as if the glass was still in a liquid state and never had the chance to complete its transformation into a solid body.

After testing and discussing the idea with our Maestro in Murano we found the right process: just a simple and gentle caress on the glass edges given by the Maestro during the hot phase, when the glass is still soft and malleable. This small gesture was enough to transform the entire glass form, creating a peculiar and unique shape on each one.

And it is no surprise that the fluid shape and wavy edges of these new glasses reminded us of the watery surroundings of Venice, the slow water flow of the canals and the warm colours of the lagoon. It’s pretty clear that the environment that is the most familiar to us, spontaneously emerged in our imagination, and since then keeps inspiring our work.

This is also the time when we came up with the name Mosso, which means ‘moved or moving’ in Italian, referring not just to the visual perception but also to the sensorial experience conveyed by these glasses. We could say in fact that, holding a Mosso, one can feel how its sinuous shape seems to naturally follow the grip of the hand.

And it is precisely this first sensorial experience that led us to explore peculiar textures and dramatic changes on the surface of glass throughout our production, defining our style and becoming a signifier of our whole collection. Since the ‘birth’ of Mosso we have been experimenting as well with different colours, each giving an incredible spectrum of effects when exposed to light and reflections. Even the liquid poured inside the glass, whether bubbly water or intense tinted wine, can produce mesmerising alterations of colours visible through the smooth and glossy surface of the glass.

Sometimes we also enrich the glasses with a subtle coloured line on the edge, called ‘Filo’. This ornament is typical of Murano's tradition and we playfully revisited with the un-typical shape of our glasses. This effect is even further enhanced in our latest style, Mosso Spirale, where the thread continues beyond the edge of the glass, twisting into a spiral which envelops the whole glass. Ultimately, we can say that with Mosso we started to express our creative vision. And this was really possible thanks to the incredible craftsmanship preserved in Murano, the only place where a gesture as simple as a caress is capable of totally alter and transform the appearance of an object.

What makes the result of this experience even more special to us is to realise how these glasses seem to naturally draw their inspiration from the unique atmosphere of Venice, capturing its essence, lights and colours. We are lucky enough to enjoy this special view every day and today we’d like to toast to the beaty of this summer sunset with a nice (Mosso) glass of wine! If this isn't magic, we wouldn't really know what else it could be…

You can see more of our Mosso Collection in different styles and colours on the Glassware section of our Online Shop We hope you enjoyed reading this page of our diary and we look forward to sharing with you the next chapter. If you missed the previous one, go back and read The origins of Micheluzzi Glass.