Google Glass enters the world of “Made in Italy” and the millennial Murano glass handicraft tradition.
Google Glass, the program developed by Google Inc. consists in a pair of goggles with augmented reality, which have now made his official entry into the world of Murano glasswork. An innovative experiment, in a world where where people have worked in front of the fire in the very same way for over a Millennium, and where the same tools are still used
In the recent days a master glassmaker, worked at “scagno”, with these particular technological goggles with a completely different perspective: during the making the glass master had the image and the technical characteristics of the object that he was fulfilling. Not only. At the same time, thanks to this innovative instrument he was making a video of the live operation.
The video can be seen on this link: https://vimeo.com/113278349.
“It is not the first project we do with Google, but it’s definitely the most challenging one – says the President of Consorzio Promovetro, Luciano Gambaro – we have joined one of the most typical Italian and traditional job, with the most advanced existing technology and technically not on the market yet.
” The Consortium started its collaboration with Google last year, when through Google Cultural Institute it created, thanks to Unioncamere, an Italian excellences platform: google.it/madeinitaly.
The artistic Murano glass was selected along with other 47 Italian typical products, including silk, ceramics, gold and many other sectors, for joining the network and promote the excellence of our country around the world, and promote young people as promoters of the Italian economy’s transition to digital.
The same thing happened with Wikipedia. Thanks to the project Wikimurano, which saw the inclusion of encyclopedic entries on Murano and Murano glass: Masters, techniques, tools, pictures, places, works of art. The largest digital Encyclopaedia of the world has been cleared from errors and imperfections about the art of Murano glass.
“This shows that, despite the crisis and problems, Murano is still seeking for new ways to fight this decline.
Murano innovates and changes itself with new products – explains Gambaro – there already are companies that use 3D printers to create new prototypes.
There are also companies that create new applications of Murano glass, as in the field of home decoring and there are companies that create and install, in these days, gorgeous chandeliers for the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg.
The crisis is very hard and what hurts us even more is that in our city, where we should be protected and safeguarded, we face counterfeit products, which ruin the credibility and our wonderful products. This is totally unacceptable.
The only instrument to protect Murano Glass is currently the Vetro Artistico® Murano trademark (designed by Diego Lazzarini), created with the Veneto region law No. 70 of December 23, 1994 and administered by the Consortium.
“We believe that the certification of the product through the Veneto Region trademark is the main way to get the safeguard and protection of Murano Glass products – concludes the President – we claim the origin of product and the fact that Murano Glass is only made in Murano, and no one else can use this title, either in Italy or abroad.
The Promovetro Consortium will always be the front line to save the history and culture of Venice!”
Finally, the appeal: “anyone who comes to administer this city in the coming months will have to face this situation.
Those who govern us must regognize that Murano Glass is mined by counterfeit products, and that we are throwing away not just the only remaining production of the town, but also a a millennial history that everybody in the world envies.