Maria Canale

Voyager Tea Cup

I had the privilege to take part in my second Vignelli Workshop this year. It was wonderful to return and work with such a talented group of designers, immersing ourselves in the Vignelli Archives and then seeing our designs come to life through the talents of Corning’s Master Glass Blowers. This year’s project was to create a drinking vessel. As I am a tea drinker I chose to focus on a large cup for tea and a coaster for it to sit on. The goal was for the cup to have a concave bottom that fit over a raised part of the coaster. My design this year, was done in pure, opaque white and “Vignelli Red.” This design seemed very simple and yet when it came to blowing the piece in glass it was a bit of a challenge but, the final result was very close to the original design.

I was also able to work on a simple drinking glass that was blown in clear glass. The glass, as the tea cup has a red, concave bottom and a fine, “Vignelli Red” rim with a very small divot that was an homage to the Heller Cups. Creating this divot on the rim was not easy for the glass blower but on the third try he came very close.
Having a chance to work so closely with the Vignelli Archives and the master glassblowers at Corning again this year I have come away with a better understanding of glass and an even greater appreciation of Vignelli Design.