VOGEL STUDIO

Art From Fire and Glass

Beauty and tension only emerge through imperfections, says the artist. Born in Germany and raised in Portugal, Fabio was surrounded by art from an early age. As a child, he visited art exhibitions with his mother. She herself was an artist, painting mainly with oils and incorporating various materials such as fine silk into her work. She also created pieces in clay and ceramics. Fabio’s mother was a major source of inspiration, but he too was always modifying things, showing great manual skill from a young age.

Beauty and tension only emerge through imperfections, says the artist. Born in Germany and raised in Portugal, Fabio was surrounded by art from an early age. As a child, he visited art exhibitions with his mother. She herself was an artist, painting mainly with oils and incorporating various materials such as fine silk into her work. She also created pieces in clay and ceramics. Fabio’s mother was a major source of inspiration, but he too was always modifying things, showing great manual skill from a young age.

“I work with my hands, and I am constantly inspired to explore new ideas,” he says. “The characteristic nature of the materials I work with often shows me the direction in which I can experiment using more unconventional methods. I love this creative process and always strive to bring my ideas to life and translate them into designs.”

Fabio came to the material of glass through his master’s thesis. He had chosen the theme of fire and asked himself whether fire is more creative or destructive. During his research, he encountered materials capable of withstanding the force of fire. He was particularly fascinated by fireproof textiles, mostly used as heat shields. He began experimenting with all sorts of fire-resistant materials in order to cast them into a simple stool shape. Using a non-combustible thread, Fabio sewed a kind of stool cover, which he then filled with liquid aluminium. The experiment worked, and Fabio was thrilled.

Unexpectedly, however, he received word from the foundry that they no longer had capacity for him and his research. In the midst of completing his degree, he urgently needed an alternative. And as is so often the case in life, nothing happens without reason. For it was his subsequent collaboration with a glassworks in the Harz region that first gave Fabio the idea of working with glass.

Peter Kuchinke was a freelance glassblower there, working with Fabio from morning to night, shaping glass together. To this day, it is Peter Kuchinke who crafts the objects for Fabio — a friendship that has endured since his student days. Today, Kuchinke lives and works in Sweden. Fabio himself does not possess a particular passion for glass. What fascinates him more are materials in general — and what one can create from them. Yet glass naturally plays a significant role in his work.

A defining feature of Fabio’s work is chance. By this he means the influences that occur during the making process. In glassmaking or metal casting, countless factors play a role. There are always deviations that lead to different results, he explains. Fabio loves and values these special circumstances that arise during production. He can, of course, influence the process to a certain degree — but only to a certain degree — and then he leaves the rest to the material and the moment.

In his work, the traces of craftsmanship should remain visible. From the imprint of the textile to streaks and air bubbles in the glass, all the way to the cut or final polish. To produce a finished piece requires many steps and the expertise of masters in their respective crafts. “It’s simply beautiful to see a trace of each person in the glass,” says the artist.

Today, Fabio presents his glass objects around the world and collaborates with numerous global brands. In his Vogel Studio, he creates objects and interior pieces — including furniture, accessories and contemporary collectible design works. In the end, Fabio tells us that he believes more in opportunities than in coincidences: “A wise man once told me: life offers you some chances, but not an unlimited number.” Fabio Vogel has certainly seized his.