Breath of Fire

An Austrian artist reimagines the centuries-old Venetian craft of glassblowing, as he invites travellers to feel the heat, rhythm, and fragility of glass

- TEJA LELE

As you enter this glassblowing studio in Austria's Vienna, the heat greets you like it's a living thing. The furnace burning over 1,000 degrees, its mouth glowing orange much like a small sun. The glassblower, Robert Comploj, dips a rod into the molten glass, gathers a dripping glob, rolls it on a steel table, and meticulously lifts it close to his lips. A long, pulsing exhale follows and the lump expands with reflections of the flames itself. Soon, what was once molten glass lava and fire, cools into a sphere, a vase, or even a paperweight as if the glassblower breathed not air, but life into the glass.