Mouth-blown in the Giant Mountains of Bohemia.

The Gauge Vase takes on the behaviour of the flower. The weight of the water holds the vase upright. The vase ‘wilts’ as the flower drinks the water, letting us know that it needs watering.

The vase includes a copper support ring to display it on when it is empty. It is delivered in a wooden box and protected with wood shavings. Decanter balls are included for cleaning.

Something is lost when we bring flowers indoors. The flowers are no longer animated by a breeze because the vase holds them rigid. The flowers cannot properly wilt when they are dying because the vase keeps them straight.

The intention was to design a shape that would contain liquid and, as the quantity of liquid reduced, it would lean over autonomously, without the intervention of a person.

Like any vase, the Gauge vase can be knocked over. Unlike any other vase, the Gauge Vase will spring back up. It is designed for leaning and will return to where it best balances - upright when fully watered, tilting when thirsty.

Stop-motion video of the vase wilting here: vimeo.com/ROKOS/GAUGE

Making -
Crystal is mouth-blown in the Czech Republic, where my grandparents lived. Established at the beginning of the eighteenth century, the glassworks is the oldest still working glass factory in Bohemia. The glassworks live deep in the woods of the Giant Mountains of Bohemia, where materials are locally sourced: timber surrounds the factory, water springs from the ground and glass sand is obtained locally.
The design is hand drawn into a book, to keep a record of the shape. This can then be traced, each time a new mould is needed. The shape is cut out in cardboard, for the mould maker to use as a template.
The mould is made from locally sourced beech wood. The wood must be saturated with water, which extends the life of the mould, so the beech trunks are placed into a lake. When the trunks touch the bottom of the lake, are they ready. The wet trunks are taken out of the water and sliced into big pieces.
A raw block of wood is fixed to a lathe to be carved out with chisels.
The wooden block is cut in half and equipped with locks and handles.
Each mould will produce up to 80 pieces, by when the shape has become altered by the molten glass and it can no longer be used.

Overseas orders may occasionally be subject to import duties and taxes, which are added once a shipment reaches its destination country. Please appreciate that I have no control over additional customs charges and as such, these charges are to be paid by the purchaser.

Featured in Monocle. Winner of the German Design Award 2017.

Cleaning
Clean soon after use with soap and warm water. Towel dry and let any remaining water inside drain, by placing upside down, safely in a corner. For more stubborn deposits, we recommend the use of decanter cleaning balls.