Università Iuav di Venezia is participating for the first time in The Venice Glass Week. From 14 to 18 September 2026, as part of the programme celebrating the University’s centenary, Università Iuav di Venezia will host the exhibition Artefatti del vetro (Glass Artefacts) at Terese in Venice, presenting projects and research developed at Iuav through a dialogue between research, education and the glass production sector.

The exhibition presents the outcomes of projects developed in Iuav studios and workshops with students and faculty, the results of the professional work of the designers involved, a master's thesis, contributions from former students who are now active as glass entrepreneurs, and two initiatives carried out as part of the Regional Innovative Networks.
Research into advanced technologies and production processes is represented by projects such as Murano 3D (RIR Euteknos), which explores the use of additive manufacturing for modular moulds, and experiments with instrumentation conducted in Iuav and Unirsm laboratories, such as Superglass with Salviati and Vetro. research project with NasonMoretti. In the field of contemporary lighting design, the exhibition presents the modular solutions Saturno (with VETRART) and Chromaslabs (with OLEV), developed as part of LUMINA project (RIR Luce in Veneto), alongside projects by From Lighting focused on reversibility and function (Satellit and the lampshade for the repairable Re27 light bulb by iiode).
Research into materials and the circular economy is explored through the recovery of production waste, with Fucina Frammenti’s Gemma pendant lamp and NO. VE. FOAM, a master's thesis by Giulia Nocivelli proposing a model of industrial symbiosis that transforms Murano glass offcuts into foam glass. These projects are complemented by experimentation with the forms and gestures of glassblowing, represented by Massimo Barbierato’s (with Stefano Parise) asymmetrical, free-blown borosilicate geometries in Soffice, the large-scale unique pieces Isola by Kanz Architetti (with Wave Murano Glass), and Kanz’s Groove and Pepper, which transform thermal shock and controlled deformation into new sculptural qualities.

The exhibition programme will be completed by two talks focusing on the relationship between design, education and business in the glass sector. The first, Design e ricerca nel vetro all’Università Iuav di Venezia (Design and research in glass at Università Iuav di Venezia), will feature Massimo Barbierato, Davide Crippa and Alberto Lazzara. The second, Design e filiera del vetro all’Università Iuav di Venezia (Design and the glass production sector at Università Iuav di Venezia), will feature Clara Accebbi, Cesare Bizzotto, Mauro Cazzaro and Marco Zito. Both talks will be moderated by Alberto Bassi.

Curators: Alberto Bassi, Daniela Bigon, Alberto Lazzara
Exhibition design: Massimo Barbierato, Cesare Bizzotto, Mauro Cazzaro, Davide Crippa, Marco Zito
Graphic design: Iuav Design System, Gianni Sinni, Luca Coppola

Image: 4. NO. VE. FOAM, Giulia Nocivelli, master's thesis in Product, Visual Communication and Interior Design. Supervisor Raffaella Fagnoni, Università Iuav di Venezia, academic year 2023–24.