18 October 2024 ![]() Fashion.at was invited to the festive event at the headquarters of packaging and logistics company Pawel Packaging in the Viennese port Freudenau to see off the pieces from glass and chandelier manufacturer Lobmeyr on their journey to EXPO 2025 in Osaka, Japan. The Mayor of Vienna, Michael Ludwig, gave a speech about the history and importance of the Austrian company Lobmeyr, founded in 1823, in representing Austrian craftsmanship and design, as well as Vienna's historical ties to Japan - the country used the presentation in Vienna in 1873 to showcase its goods to the Western world for the first time at a World's Fair. The 1873 World's Fair was also the first in which Lobmeyr participated. With more than 200 years of craftsmanship, Lobmeyr is a prominent ambassador of Austrian artisan heritage and has participated in several world expositions. For the next EXPO 2025 in Osaka from April 13 to October 13, 2025, selected Lobmeyr pieces will be packaged in wooden boxes by the company's partner Pawel Packaging, such as the historic Maria Theresa chandelier and a specially designed floor lamp with a glass shade created by Eva Petric, a Slovenian artist based in Vienna and New York. Petric is known for her evocative shadow photography and installations using handmade lace. The lamp's design pays homage to Felice Rix-Ueno, an Austrian-Japanese artist known for her contributions to textile and graphic design. Born in Vienna in 1893, Felice Rix-Ueno became a prominent artist associated with the Wiener Werkstätte, where she specialized in textiles, ceramics, and wallpaper design. Her work is characterized by a synthesis of Japanese and Western aesthetics, reflecting her later life in Japan after she married the Japanese architect Isaburo Ueno in 1926. Recently, the MAK (Museum of Applied Arts) in Vienna honored her legacy with a dedicated exhibition (article). Lobmeyr's glasses and chandeliers will be presented together with objects from other exhibitors in the Austrian Pavilion at EXPO 2025 Osaka. The architecture of the pavilion by BWM Designers & Architects is inspired by this year's theme 'Designing Future Society for Our Lives'. A first glimpse of the pavilion's spiral musical score sculpture made of wood under the motto 'Austria. Composing the Future' is published on https://www.expo2025.or.jp/. Images, from left: The picture shows artist Eva Petric talking with Vienna's Mayor Michael Ludwig about Lobmeyr's floor lamp with a special glass shade created by the artist. On the right: The picture shows a forklift driver with a wooden box showing the years and cities of world exhibitions in which Lobmeyr participated. Behind the forklift is the prominent 'Met' chandelier, originally designed for the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Musician Drake, for example, has a Met chandelier in his home in Toronto. The pictures were taken on October 17, 2024 at the headquarters of the company Pawel Packaging in the Viennese port Freudenau. |
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