POETICA Reimagines Glass and Paper as Vessels for Memories

Glass and paper remain being two of the most ancient manmade materials, eons of trial, error, and history in their wake. Two such ubiquitous substances that we could possibly take them for granted in our modern lives, so removed from the places where our objects are made. POETICA by WonderGlass with new works from Ronan Bouroullec and Vincent Van Duysen, offer a fresh take on the storied materials. During Salone del Mobile 2025, POETICA, presented in collaboration with ethereal wallpapers from Calico Wallpaper, and with special contribution by Officine Saffi Lab, wove glass and paper into a shared language of memory and imagination.

Rooted in the timeless tradition of storytelling and artistry, POETICA invites visitors to explore the transformation of materials into vessels of emotion and narrative. Here, glass and paper transcend their everyday identities, becoming conduits between the visible and the unseen, the real and the remembered.

At the heart of POETICA lies a dialogue between form and feeling. The installation blurs the boundary between the tangible and the abstract, revealing subtle dimensions as each piece interacts with its environment. Every object is a story in motion – originating in the designer’s vision, shaped by the hands of skilled artisans, and brought to life through the gaze of the viewer. The result is a poetic continuum – where design, craft, and perception converge to tell a narrative that’s ever-shifting and deeply personal.

Multiple magnitudes of space add dimension, focusing first on the glass pieces from the Optô collection by Vincent Van Duysen, lit underneath on a generous platform to catch the pieces in their best light. The slight blue undertones of thick fuxed glass add a sumptuous quality to the pieces, hefty in their distortion of detail. Clear, blown-glass vases and glasses extend from the tops of the tables in some places, giving an oddly natural effect to a quite industrial form. These perforated pieces sit in an expanse of blue carpet, part of the optical illusion of the walls of the exhibition, which extend upward in a massive, slow gradient thanks to Calico Wallpaper. As the navy of the carpet flows into the blue of the walls, a pleasing peach emerges, only to be topped by warm lighting that cascades down the face of the wallpaper, adding intriguing shadow and softness to the room. Lastly, the stately interior of the Istituto dei Ciechi adds a quiet level of luxury, just peeking out and making itself known through the portholes and soaring arches of the surrounding walls.

At the further end of the hall, we pass the perforated glass sculptures and immersive walls to come upon a more natural interpretation of glass by Ronan Bouroullec. The organic forms interwoven with geometric regularity in a backlit box, illuminate the textural qualities of the layers of glass. Rounded forms, each with distinct color and shape assortments, contain cavities for a singular, sweet flower. Surrounding the forms are panels of glass, hung in space to form layers of transparency, hue indelibly at the whim of whatever lies behind.

We see these layers beautifully rendered, the deep ochre of the yellow glass interacting elegantly with the rounded multitudes of green glass behind. All elements are beholden to one another in their transparency, a charming dialogue on how we are all colored by our own perception – and perhaps a solution on how to mitigate these natural foibles in our own lives.

To learn more about the work of Vincent Van Duysen, Ronan Bouroullec, and Calico Wallpaper in the POETICA exhibition by WonderGlass, please visit wonderglass.com.

Photography by Antonio Managò.