The cosmos has always elicited wonder in mankind with her twinkling giants, lightyears away, silent and suspended in an endless dark vacuum. The movement of these masses through space and time is tracked by scientists, thinkers, and artists alike. From NASA space missions to astrology to philosophy, the planets and stars beyond our reach influence much of life and culture here on earth. The Black Hole Vase by Claesson Koivisto Rune, in collaboration with Sweden’s top glass manufacturer Orrefors, captures the intensity of this inky expanse within a vessel, helping us contextualize the gargantuan at a human scale.
Created specially for the World Expo 2025 Osaka, it was featured in the EU pavilion as part of an exhibition entitled ‘Design Beyond Things’. This sculptural object offers more than utility, affording viewers a chance for introspection.
Black holes are all-consuming and inescapable for any type of matter or energy – this piece is no different. The otherworldly vase is essentially a smoky, conical form that rests on one side bending light as onlookers move around it. The flat surface atop is jet black in the center, like an iris peering into the never-ending abyss.
Its heavy, wide lens communicates the utter expanse of time and space – and perhaps even the way it bends – while the stars are emblazoned on the surface as if to map the universe’s many vertices.
As our own space is influenced by the bodies that exist around us – and the people that pull us in with gravitational force – so too does the Black Hole Vase as it comments on the interconnectivity of all things and the elasticity of perception.
“Together we are pushing the boundaries of what is possible to craft: Geometrical, pure and solid, it challenges the notion of what a vase should be,” share the Claesson Koivisto Rune architects behind its design. “Large and heavy – it rests firmly, yet appears floating. Dark, black, but still with some transparency to make its inner reservoir visible. The flowers are not only kept watered and held up, but are also enhanced by their reflection in the flat surround.”
A rose, poetic and singular within the expanse, not only survives but thrives within the quietness of its existence. Showcased on a firm but translucent stage, the abstraction of an infinite universe is brought to stark relief by the living: a flash of red among the black, like the beating heart of the cosmos.
To learn more about the Black Hole Vase by Claesson Koivisto Rune, visit orrefors.com.
Photography courtesy of Orrefors.