New sculpture by Maximus Velčovský in Myslbek

Prague - Today, the authors presented a large glass sculpture, which is a three-dimensional simulation of movement in space and time, at a shopping center in Prague. It was designed by designer Maxim Velčovský and produced by the Czech glass company Lasvit, where Velčovský has worked as artistic director for several years.

The light installation titled Vortex is more than 12 meters wide, seven meters high, and consists of nearly 700 glass components made from hand-blown industrial glass. It is suspended in the Myslbek building, constructed in the mid-1990s in the gap between the Fruit Market and Na Příkopech Street. It is often mentioned as one of the controversial post-revolutionary new buildings in the historic center.

"The name Vortex means whirlpool and expresses that in the very center of the building, two energies meet - that from the Fruit Market, milder, coming from the Old Town, and that from Příkopy, full of tourists and shoppers. The energies meet, and the sculpture should express their intertwining and the resulting harmony," Velčovský told ČTK. He was approached by architects from the CMC Architects studio with the offer to create the work, who designed the reconstruction of the interior of Myslbek. The resulting piece was preceded by a long period of calculations and computer simulations, which ensured the safety of the suspended sculpture and also ensured that the individual glass tubes did not touch each other, thus preventing mutual damage.

The enormous installation consists of a spirally twisted metal tube to which approximately half-meter glass tubes are attached, colorfully illuminated and suspended from the ceiling of the central space.

The glass object was produced by Lasvit, known for its glass sculptures and lighting, which supplies to the whole world. Its production combines traditional Czech glassmaking with modern technologies and designs. Ninety-six percent of its production is exported, and according to Hospodářské noviny, the company had revenues of approximately 45 million dollars (about 1.1 billion crowns) in 2014. It produces large and luxurious chandeliers for the Asian and Arab markets, but also many cups and awards for world sporting events. Most recently, it made the trophies for this year's winner of the Tour de France cycling race.

It has extensive experience in producing trophies and awards. For example, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, winners of the prestigious tennis exhibition in Abu Dhabi, received trophies from Lasvit. Lasvit also created a glass trophy shaped like a torch for Czech medalists from the Winter Olympics in Sochi, as well as the Czech Lion glass film awards. The company Lasvit has also won numerous awards in the field of design.