History:
In the 1940’s, Argentina decided to create and strengthen various industries, bringing in skilled labour and high quality professionals from overseas.
One of the industries chosen for this strong development was the glass industry. In accordance with this strategy, many families arrived from Europe. They originally settled in Santa Fe City 300 miles north of Buenos Aires.
In the late fourties a group of families decided to open a new plant for handcrafted blown glass in Lomas de Zamora, south of Buenos Aires Province, a few miles from the Federal Capital and with an easy access to the shipping port as well as the international airport.
Following the general criteria of the time, these families with more than 100 years of tradition in this industry, installed themselves close to the factory, effectively creating a neighbourhood of glass blowing craftsmen and professionals.
The strength of the new factory quickly attracted the interest of the young neighbours in the area. As a result, many young kids of 12 and 13 years old began working as apprentices, where they had the unique opportunity of learning directly from these masters.
PlanasViau :
Gustavo and Roberto Viau together with their Partner Carlos Planas have founded Creative Mind Group S.A. and their premium brand of hand made blown glass PlanasViau in 2003. They have acquired this old dismantled factory in Lomas de Zamora in the late eighties, restored and updated it to comply with modern production requirements.
With a different and creative approach to production and design they have created a unique Studio Factory based in obtaining excellence in craftsmanship applying old techniques to modern designs.
After a long research they have identified and hired those once young apprentices of the old factory who are today their glass masters, with over 50 years of experience. Continuing the tradition, they have undertaken the commitment of preserving this extraordinary accumulated knowledge and experience, encouraging and promoting new generations of artists and craftsmen. To that end, they are already starting a school for specially selected young apprentices.
Also, a team of highly qualified professionals from different disciplines have been incorporated which enables them to continuously progress, while sustaining their creativity and producing hand-made glass objects with highly aesthetic content, pursuing excellence in form and colour and great added value.
Their products have achieved great recognition, participated in important international Fairs and are being sold to the most important Stores and Hotels in Argentina and exported to more than ten countries in three different continents to the best international companies.
The Glass:
They use their own formulas to produce their glass ( lead free crystal ), having developed a wide range of colours and types (clear, coloured, opal, etc), all of them compatible for fusing, melting first-quality raw materials in crucibles manufactured in their own plant. These crucibles are hand-made with the best local and imported clays, and go through a three month production and drying process before they are ready to be used in the furnaces.
Products and activities:
The PlanasViau products are made of high quality glass ( crystal lead free ), in a wide variety of colours and opals, with all types of techniques, including but not limited to mouth blown, hand finishes, silvered and etching of hand made mirrors, and different kinds of fussion.
Techniques:
We handle all the techniques for high quality blown glass:
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Free mouth blown: This is the term designated to the technique of mouth blowing and modelling a single piece totally by hand, without using a mould, hot-cutting the edges using scissors and working continuously in the glory hole to keep the glass hot and workable. Each piece is unique. Similar pieces can be made, but they actually are one of the kind. Because of the nature of this technique, production capacity is limited
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Free hand-molded: These are solid pieces, totally hand-moulded. They are also unique pieces. Similar pieces can be made, but each one will be slightly different from the previous one. Because of the nature of this technique, production capacity is limited.
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Blown in mold: Pieces are produced by means of mouth blowing glass into a mold. This technique allows mass production, yet maintaining their one by one hand-made character. The pieces can be blown in single colour, doublé or overlay, casing in two or more colours. Our factory produces its own moulds, allowing us to develop moulds made to order for special and limited editions
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Finishing techniques: We are equipped to finish pieces per design requirements using techniques such as engraving, satin, sand blasting, acid etching, etc.
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Fusing: is the means by which we fuse our own glass, previously laminated and converted to sheets, using a mould in a specially designed electric furnace. All our colour glasses are compatible.
Quality Control:
Each piece we produce is individually quality-controlled by its producer and by a product engineer. This is the best guarantee to obtain such high quality products. All our products are signed and dated.
Special Projects & Activities:
In PlanasViau we have a highly qualified team of professionals from various disciplines who not only work on the development of our own designs, but who also offer solutions to artists, designers, architects and other professionals in order to translate their needs and ideas into glass products.
PlanasViau has created a new factory concept, maintaining the ancient traditions of totally hand-made production, yet using modern designs and techniques to develop new products and applications for its superb glass.
Products:
- Decoration and daily use objects.
- Lighting.
- Art.
- Hand made Mirrors.
- Murals.
- Vitreaux.
- Antique Glass, cathedral, Plaqué, Cordonné and other special glasses.
- Glass sheets for fusing on all colours including exotic ( mix of colours )
Designs:
The design Studio is personally directed by Gustavo and Roberto Viau who have achieve numerous goals and awards locally and internationally. Their unique approach and flexibility have made possible not only create beautifull pieces but also develop new technique to acomplish their requirements.
