Abstract
Glass has been an interesting material and a challenge to experiment within both art and design fields worldwide. In Portugal, we have a tradition in the glassmaking industry that dates back almost 300 years. After the earthquake of 1755, the Marquis of Pombal ordered the relocation of the glass industry from the south of the Tejo River to near Marinha Grande, over the D. Dinis King pine forests, due to the availability of wood for fuel in the furnaces of the Real Fábrica de Vidros that began operating in 1769 (Barros, 1969).
This article discusses the history and evolution of glass design in Portugal, tracing its roots back to the 18th century and highlighting notable events and designers throughout the 20th century. The work presented here is part of the development of a PhD thesis in design (Santos, 2021), which aimed to map the authorship of glass designers in Portugal from 1950 to 2000, with a particular emphasis on identifying three distinct cycles of glass designers and their contributions.
This work proposes to present the extension of this study based on the work of a new generation of glass designers, a fourth cycle of glass design in Portugal, from 2000 until now.
After the celebration of International Glass Year in 2022, we continue to see the continuous relevance of this versatile material of invention, considering (Manzini, 1993) and (Ashby; Johnson, 2014) in technology, science and arts contexts.
Author Information
Cláudia Pedro Santos, University of Beira Interior, Portugal
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