From his first tour of Europe, my dad came home with armloads of all the usual suspects - a cuckoo clock from Switzerland, handmade chocolates from Belgium, wooden clogs from Holland, a horse made from blown glass from Murano...
The chocolates disappeared instantly. The only proof that they ever made it to Tuguegarao were the telltale stains on our school uniforms. And we were happy with the clogs, of course, because they were simply a European equivalent of the humble bakya. The cuckoo clock got plenty of attention, too. We'd always try to make the bird emerge from the bird house to say "Cuckoo!" but we were not always lucky.
The glass horse was left on the dresser. We didn't really havea display cabinet for nice things, and so the horse had to sit amongst half-empty sample bottles of skin products and a small collection of unopened boxes of perfumes we meant to re-gift. Our entire family was asthmatic; any sort of artificial fragrance would send any one of us into a wheezing attack.
The next day, the horse's head broke. Then, one of its legs. I think one of my sibs might have endeavored to include the glass horse on play time with our more pedestrian toys. My mum quietly scooped the broken pieces of glass into a dust pan and into the bin. That tends to happen a lot when you're raising a brood of six. Things break. And it never is anybody's fault.
I'm the clumsiest person I know; I break everything. Anyhow, I've always liked flowers better than fragile object (like a glass horse) to dress up a corner. Until I encountered Borowski.
The Borowskis - Pawel, Stanislaw, Stani Jan - are a family of glass artists. Their craftsmanship is unique not only because the pieces are surprisingly sturdy (great marriage of technology and an instinct for balance), but also because they convey such exuberant colours and shapes. Further, each piece is intended to interact with light. This interaction inadvertently creates a variety of atmospheres throughout the day.
Borowski has three collections, namely Artist Edition, Studio Line (homeware), and Outdoor Objects. My personal favourite is an outdoor object - a huge, smiling chameleon in citrusy-green glass, accented with metal and mounted on wood.
Borowski creates glass art that's beautiful, functional and dynamic. The tradition, artistry and craftsmanship are comparable to Lalique and Baccarat, with prices to match.
If only my dad's Murano horse had this much personality, perhaps it would now be proudly displayed on my desk...
Many thanks to Krzysztof "Chris" Przybylo, Managing Director of Borowski, for the thoroughly enjoyable and informative personal tour!
With Affection,
James
Borowski is on exhibit at Goodrich Gallery
(A) 2/F, De Fenwick, 8 – 12 Fenwick Street, Wanchai, Hong Kong
(T) +852 2136 0577
(W) goodrichglobal.com.hk
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