Glass art and cutting-edge technology
It was a Master machining centre and the power of a waterjet there were able to convert a simple panel of glass into the contours of product of design that made history, the work of a company from the Marches that has always skilfully processed glass into works of art.
«It all started with a stool. A glass stool, of course. A photographer friend came to see me in my glass workshop; he saw me standing on the stool and took a picture that was published in some newspapers. It was then, at that moment, I asked myself: why not try to make furniture from glass? Since then, from the first, self-built furnace for bending glass sheets through to early collaborations with artists and designers, it’s been a continuous learning curve». This memory, shared by the founder and sole director of the company, Vittorio Livi, represents the start of the forty year history of Fiam, a company based in the Marche region of Italy that combines traditional and industrial processes to design, develop, and produce furniture items made of curved glass. «In Fiam’s workshops, we have always tried to respond to the ideas presented to us by designers, even when they seem impossible. Designers, like all great artists, are driven by a creativity that stimulates all those who come into contact with it, and which demands cutting-edge innovation. By placing our faith in their ideas, over time, we have been able to develop new technologies that have allowed us to create unique objects on an industrial scale».
Along with design innovation, Fiam has always invested in technological innovation too. In this respect, the partnership with Biesse for the development of solutions such as bilateral grinding machines and the Master processing centres range is a strategic one.
Vittorio Livi - Founder and sole administrator
At Fiam, design and technological innovation could not co-exist in support of each other without Biesse technology, and without solutions such as bilateral grinding machines and the Master range of machining centres. «When Giancarlo Selci began producing the first machines for glass processing, I had to sit up and take notice straight away – I wanted to understand what he was making. And, immediately, Biesse was my choice. Since then, our collaboration has become stronger and stronger. Today Biesse is a key partner for our company, on the same level as the Italian and international design studios who have honoured us with their contributions. People like Massimo Morozzi, Rodolfo Dordoni, Giorgetto Giugiaro, Enzo Mari, Cini Boeri through to Vico Magistretti, Ron Arad and Makio Hasuike. Not to mention Philippe Starck, Daniel Libeskind, Massimiliano Fuksas… And within this list of greats – and I say this sincerely, not in the interests of flattery – belongs the name of the genius that is Giancarlo Selci».
