奇异的交响乐
Strange Symphony

2013

“奇异的交响乐”为隐藏在玻璃吹制工艺及过程内部的故事和音乐创造了一个舞台。Philipp Weber改变了玻璃吹制工的主要工具：吹管，并且发明了一种新的工具来重塑玻璃吹制工匠与玻璃之间的关系。这种工具改变了材料处理的方式，使得工匠能够通过吹管上的不同气门塑造玻璃的内部形态。制作工具的改革催生了一种新的工作程式，即激发玻璃吹制工匠的即兴创作，并衍生了一场关于玻璃制作的奇异表演。

在观看比利时玻璃吹制工匠克里斯托弗·吉纳德工作时，玻璃吹制的工具吸引了Weber的注意。在过去的近2000年中，这一1.5米长的钢管仅发生了一些细微的改进，对材质本身并没有任何影响。“如果对吹制工具的功能进行彻底的改造，通过它吹制的玻璃本身会发生什么变化？而克里斯托弗又将以怎样的方式适应新的吹管？”—这些问题便在瞬间涌入Weber的脑海。

在对概念的实践中，他们尝试通过改造吹管，成功改变了玻璃的内部形状。同时通过改变吹管，设计师也觉察到了玻璃吹制工艺的一种内在神秘感。隐藏在玻璃吹制过程中的节奏与故事给Weber留下了深刻的印象。在他眼中，作为制造工具的吹管仿佛是一件乐器。

在连续激发的灵感中，项目团队将一个喇叭的机械装置改造后与吹管结合，创造了一个联系工艺与音乐的“乐器”吹管，激发了吉纳德的“即兴”玻璃吹制。通过多个气门的操控，他可以制造出不同的气流，从而自内部塑造玻璃的形状。把吹管改造成一件“乐器”引发了玻璃吹制行业的表演，项目所拍摄的纪录片还展示了工匠以这一“乐器”在创作中和玻璃的“即兴”共舞。

A Strange Symhpony provides a stage for the drama and music hidden inside the craft of glassblowing. Philipp Weber altered the glassblowers main tool, the blowing pipe, and developed a new instrument to manipulate the relation between the glassblower and his material. This changed the approach towards the material enables the craftsman to shape the inner form of the glass using different valves on the pipe. The transformation of the tool stimulated a new working process and inspired the glassblower to improvise, provoking a performance of glass making.

While watching Belgian glassblower Christophe Genard working, the blowing tool caught Weber’s attention. In the past 2000 years only minor alterations have been made to the 1.5m long steel pipe, with no effect to the material. ‘What would happen to the glass, if the function of this tool radically changed? How would Christophe adapt to a new pipe?,’ Weber asked himself. By manipulating the pipe the designer enabled the glassblower to influence on the inner shape of the glass.

Through changing the tool Weber sensed a certain mystery in the craft of glassblowing. The rhythm and drama, which he saw hidden in the process of making glass, left a resonating impression on the designer. The pipe as a tool for glass production appeared to be like a musical instrument to him. He translated the mechanism of a trumpet into an application for blowing glass. Ultimately this resulted in the creation of a new ‘instrument’– an allegoric bond of craft and music–, inspiring Genard to ‘improvise’ the glass. Playing the valves, he would activate different air streams, shaping the glass from the inside. The transformation of the pipe into an instrument provoked a performance of glass making. A short-movie, several glass objects and the instrument itself communicate this dance with the fire..