Aleš Lombergar

Casino Kiev

Gulf Interiors, Dubai

Opening doors into Arabia

ALES Lombergar is one of the few artisans in Europe who still practice the ancient art of glass acid etching which flourished in the late 19th century. Decorations are applied with resin resists by hand and then exposed to acid baths, with no machinery used.

“When I started thinking about our display for Index, I was inspired by the fact that this was an opportunity for me to create something that has never been done before,” explains the author of two doors that pulled in the crowds because of their unique and Arabic aspect. Glass was etched with an arabesque design in a way invented especially for this piece of work. Two symetrically etched glass panes were then gilded and laminated together. “Many people asked if there was massive gold inside the glass! The arabesque itself was based on a 16th century design ornament by an European Rennaisance artist, the German engraver Peter Floetner.”

The door frames were made especially by one of the best wood sculpturers, Marko Crtanec. His doors, made of small nutwood stars which perfectly suit the ornamented glass, make the result even more fascinating. Such doors demanded custom-made doorhandles. Sculptorer Jozef Vrscaj makes sculptures from acrylic glass encapsulating liquid silver, and created a transparent hollow doorhandle partialy filled with mercury: when pushed down, liquid silver flows inside the handle.

Another door on display showed an etched map of Arabia drawn by a Venitian mapmaker in 1563. The transformation of the map from paper onto glass in such dimensions gives a true impression of monumentality.

Shownews, Dubai

Doors with a difference pull in the crowds

ALUKOMEN”S highly attractive display at its stand (P H239) at the Big 5 show is bound to open doors – literally – for the Slovenian firm into the region. Strategically placed at the entrance to the stand are two ornately acid-etched doors which have proved to be crowd-pullers for the company

The door – designed by Ales Lombergar, glass designer -has been specifically produced with the Gulf market in mind, says Alen Tibljas, general manager.

He continues: “We are here to promote three of our systems:
- Logo metal counterframes for sliding doors and wing doors;
- Exclusive door panels combining wood and acid-etched glass, which are custom-designed to clients requirements; and
- Vertical shelving systems called Patter Noster, which are automated rotating retrieval storage systems that can be used both in offices and in warehouses.”

Alukomen claims to be one of only five European manufacturers that specialise in acid-etched doors.

The company, a first-time exhibitor at the Big 5, has a 50-year history behind it. It has targeted the Big 5 with a view to setting up agencies in the Gulf and create awareness of its expertise.

Using the pomegranate – “a symbol of fertility and business prosperity” – as its talisman, the company has grown beyond the confines of the Slovenian market to take on the global markets.
“However, this is the first time that we have come here under our own trade mark. We would like to use our quality and skills to open new doors and we invite our visitors to sample the fruit of our labour because only through them can we create a new world with beautiful buildings,” says Tibljas.

“When Alukomen invited me to cooperate with them on the Big 5 exhibition, I asked myself what I should show. In 20 years of decorating glass, I have worked for patrons in almost every European country, the US and Russia but never in the Arabian world,” says Ales Lomberger, glass designer. “So I went to search for old engravings and was lucky enough to find a marvelous arabesque design and an interesting map of the Middle East, both from the 16th century.”^

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