ALBA MARIA STUDIO
interview
Text: Willa Meredith
Photography: Caroline Lucia Smagagz
MEXICO CITY / April 2024
Vibrant and playful, Alba Maria’s glassware designs are much like the woman behind the label. Raised in London with Italian and Austrian family roots, Alba draws on the Murano tradition she trained in, applying a funky aesthetic and novel color combinations to the glasswares she produces in Mexico City. She’s also the cofounder of Discoteca, the iconic disco party well known among New York and Mexico City’s creative communities.
WILLA MEREDITH — Do you remember the moment you first noticed that you could make a career in glassmaking?
ALBA MARIA — Actually, yes. Growing up, we had this amazing Tristano di Robilant sculpture in the house. It’s this huge double-sided glass bell with two blown glass vessels on the inside. I was always so drawn to it, it was the object of admiration at every breakfast. Since my father is an art dealer, I was always very aware of the objects I saw around the house: beautiful sculptures, amazing materials, and so on. My parents had a collection of Murano drinking glasses by their friend Marie Brandolini who designed them when she started her glassware company Laguna B. I saw these glasses and thought, I want to work for them. My brother who knew Marie’s son, Marcantonio, put me in touch with him, and I ended up going the following summer before my final year at Parsons.
How was that? — I was there for three months, shadowing him, going to Murano at six every morning by boat through the mist of the lagoon to watch and understand how much work went into making these pieces. I also worked in the office in the afternoons wrapping glasses, sending emails and doing more mundane things. I connected with their work ethos and visual style: super colorful, very young, very funky. I saw myself a lot in them. We became very good friends and they produce all my Murano glassware now. The experience ended up being the foundation for my own brand.
What did you take away from the experience?
— I learned what it's like to create a brand and a business from start to finish. They have their brand, Laguna B, where they sell their original products, and then they also do production for and collaborations with other people. They have sustained a unique visual identity throughout their thirty years and their products are considered collectors items, and they work with countless design and fashion brands in producing collections and concepts. They push the culture of Venice’s craft into the 21st century through education in local and international glass communities. A drinking glass is such a simple everyday object, but theirs is a luxury item.
Yeah, it's the objects that figure into our everyday routines that can really elevate our daily lives.
— Yes, it's the little details that count. The same goes for when I worked for AGO Projects in Mexico. I saw another side of design which I didn't really know before. My training in industrial design was quite strict and minimal, which was not exactly my style. I’m attracted to products that are functional, or at least semi-functional but a lot of fun, ones that you can use every day.
What was it like stepping into the Murano community?
— I loved it and found it very easy. Venice is a magical city and feels as if you're in a fairy tale. I would wake up, go for my coffee and 'tramezzino,' walk twenty minutes to take the aqua bus to Murano and then would spend the day taking kilos of glass to be bent or cut and then fused and polished or sand blasted, walking it from workshop to factory in the humid summer heat. Venice is logistically a nightmare, but otherwise its very livable and I've felt very at home there. It's small, there are no cars, you walk or take a boat and it's a very creative place. If you walk around at night you feel there are ghosts everywhere. There's something strange and spiritual, almost dark in that city. Not in a scary way, but there is a deep undercurrent of the history there which leaves an eeriness in the air. I feel very calm there and when I first arrived to live there, I was shocked at how focused I was. It was the first time I could just sit and draw and read for hours, and that had a lot to do with the state of mind the city gave me.
It sounds like you were able to be completely present for the experience.
— Yeah, I never had felt that before. Coming from New York, I wasn't used to this type of healthy relationship with a city, because, although I loved New York, the rhythm of life and the state of mind you get from living there was not sustainable. And then I get to Venice, a city stuck in time, where nothing is practical yet makes so much sense within the context of the people and their culture. Venetians are island folk. They are peculiar and have a specific humor and way of speaking which is impossible to understand if, like me, you learned Italian with a bunch of Neapolitans. But once you spend enough time there, the more you understand their language.
I’ve always wanted to know what makes Murano glass Murano glass — The difference between Murano glass and glass from other parts of the world is in the long history of the industry there which birthed many of the glass world's most revered and involved techniques. It’s also the chemical compounds of the glass and its color. A certain family in Venice will be known for a specific color, for example, because all colors are chemical compounds that only a few people know the recipes for. The high temperature of the ovens allows for the glass to be very malleable and detailed, and it also purifies the glass, which gives a cleaner finish. And since it's very malleable and doesn't cool quickly, you can work it for longer.
So it's kind of like the oil paint of glass — Yes, exactly. So you've got a longer time to work it, so it can be much thinner and more delicate. Here in Mexico, I work with recycled glass. It's much thicker, chunkier, and much less delicate.
What’s the physicality of working with glass?
— I’ve never tried it myself but, the maestro at my factory in Mexico City said he would show me something new every time I come so I could eventually be more involved in the whole process. You can see how physically strenuous it is on the body - glass is so heavy. They stand in the mouth of the oven, turning, blowing, shaping and working the glass for hours everyday, burning their noses and dripping in sweat and still, they create unbelievable objects. It's so wild watching these guys do it, with no sleeves, in their birkenstocks, with popping glass everywhere and shards of glass all over the place.
That’s hardcore!
— Yeah, and it's boiling hot. You need so much patience and to have the timing right, because the second it cools down you have to put it back in to warm it up - but you can't let it get too hot or else it can burn the color and leave a stain. You really need to understand the material and give it time and patience but also work quickly. But, there’s something really magical about working with glass.
Okay, tell me everything — My father’s family is originally from the Veneto area, so I felt like I wanted to spend time there to get in touch with my roots and learn something that already interested me. I'm a designer, not an artisan, so it was really interesting to work there, with all the maestros who have been there since they were sixteen. They started working there with their father and grandfather, then worked in the factory as a second hand for twenty years before becoming a maestro. As a newcomer, it's very hard to make things with your own hands there.
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Right, you said to me recently that there's a strong sense of freedom in Mexico City’s creative community, like having carte blanche to create whatever one wants. I love this story about connecting both with your Italian family roots and this ancient and very traditional practice before setting out to do your own thing in Mexico. How does it all come together in your work? — Everything I design is inspired by and based on traditions of craft, which is why living and working in Mexico makes so much sense. The culture of artisanry and the handmade is very much alive here and part of the everyday. I wouldn't say that I’m an innovative designer because what really interests me are the same techniques that have been used for thousands of years. In Mexico I've had the opportunity to work with highly specialized craftsmen and women. Their knowledge, experience and skill, met with my playful and experimental approach is what makes the pieces we work on together interesting and eye-catching. I would also say the same of the process of working in Italy. I’m lucky to have such wonderful working relationships with all the producers and makers I work with. I guess that's what makes me feel like I have carte blanche here, because they’re up for experimenting and learning with me.
I've noticed that creatives coming to Mexico from other major cities often comment on how collaborative and open the art and design world is here.
— When I found the glass factory I work in here in Mexico, I just knocked on the door and said, Hi, I'm a designer, I work with glass in Italy, and I’m looking for a producer here. And they said, yeah, sure, come in. I went in, asked how it worked, if I could have a few hours to do prototypes, and then went back the next week to start. Sometimes they look at me strangely and say, we've never seen these two colors together. And I'm like, let's experiment and see if it works. They're a family-owned factory that's been around for decades. They’re used to making more traditional glass products that have historically always sold very well.
Is it at all similar to working in Murano? — The factory, the vibe and feeling of working with them is the same: very family oriented. They put on music and we joke all day long. They're very relaxed. If they get you and you get them, you're in, but it does take time. I'm also a woman, and I dont think they’re that used to taking orders from young girls. I arrived at their doorstep out of nowhere, and it took them some time to take me seriously. But I'm used to that and don't have a problem with proving myself to people. They could tell that I knew what I was talking about, so I'm sure that sped up the process of them trusting me and letting their guard down.
How do you handle the business aspect of the project?
— AGO Projects and Laguna B were the two companies I worked with who gave me the combined foundation of knowledge and professionalism for my own brand, while also showing me that you don’t have to take everything so seriously. You can play and experiment. So, they taught me a lot. I aim for their clientele, because their clients are interested in design and have knowledge of the world - and they also want something super playful and fun. It's been a great year, I've put in a lot of hard work and seen it come to fruition. And, I got to my goal, because I'm now selling with AGO.
It really came full circle. And your personality comes through in your work.
— Everyone has alway said that to me. I used to get annoyed, but now I like it, and think I'm lucky to have always had a visual language that I felt described who I am. Young artists would always ask my dad for advice, and he’d say to them, just focus on your design language and your artistic language, so that someone can look at a piece you made and know it's yours. I've always had a strong sense of self, so stylistic choices have always been easy for me.
And it sounds like you’ve also had a lot of fun with it.
— Yeah. I've been playful with it. I work hard, but I also find play in my work. I have music full blast, I dance while I work.
What's your song of the moment? — I don't have a song. But I have a playlist…
Let’s add it to the story. Okay, let’s move on to Discoteca. How did it start?
— I started Discoteca when I was at Parsons in New York. I met my business partner at a club. I had been randomly following him on Soundcloud, and one day I saw on Resident Advisor that this guy, Disgonuts, was playing and I ended up bringing my friends to his show. I went up to him and was like, “hey, I follow you on soundcloud and love your music.” He looked at me as if I was some sort of stalker - but then I got him to play at my 21st birthday party, which was basically the first Discoteca. So many people came, we got along like a house on fire and the rest is history. Now he's my brother, best friend and business partner.
How has it evolved over the years? — We’ve been doing it for almost six years now. It happened very organically. It is and will always be super DIY. That's why it's still so fun to organize and come to, because the decor feels like high school prom, but the music and sound system is epic. The first one was at China Chalet, then we did many at il Cortile in Little Italy before starting to work with more established clubs and doing full production in a warehouse space. We used to do it three times a year, now it's six or seven. We have a team here in Mexico, also a team in New York and now we've started to spread out into Europe. We did London for the first time last year, and also Naples for the first time. We did a collaboration with Soul Express, a Neapolitan music collective. We're going back to Naples this July 20th on the beach outside the city.
It makes sense that it happened organically because you can feel an authentic energy at Discoteca. A cool crowd, great music, everyone is dancing. By the way, who was the violinist at the last Discoteca during art week? — La Lou Lou. She’s amazing, she's Colombian, but she grew up in New York. El Primo, who was the drummer, is from Argentina. They've got a duo, they’re super amazing. I had never seen the electric violin before.
How do you find artists? — My business partner is a record label manager and a DJ, so he's very much in that world and does all the bookings. He also takes care of the finances, which is fabulous, but we share almost every job depending on the party and place. I do all the creative stuff: the design, invitations, decorations.
Including that big papier maché heart with the panties on?
— Yes! I made that by hand, for last year's party.