Elis Monsport created a unique glass wall for the municipal office in Vratimov

Vratimov – Two years of preparation, half a year of execution, a structure weighing 1 ton and an order worth one million, which would today cost three times as much. Elis Monsport has just completed the most demanding project of the last few months. It was a glass wall custom-made for the municipal office in Vratimov. Each of the wall elements represents a part of the landscape around Vratimov.

The foundation of the monumental glass wall, which became the centerpiece of the newly renovated ceremonial hall of the city of Vratimov, consists of cast elements that express the textures of the city, rivers, forests, and fields surrounding Vratimov.

"The city leadership placed complete trust in me. I worked here with my favorite ability to transform nature into a material that breathed life into the entire composition. I thought of working with aerial photographs that I transferred into a 3D program, and then I tried to imprint them into the glass using milled forms. This technique took dozens of hours. The individual blocks, when assembled, exceeded two meters and together weighed over 1 ton. Therefore, not only the execution was demanding, but also the logistics and installation. I have never created anything so monumental, and I must say that this is a direction I would like to pursue in the future,” adds Elis Monsport.

Large-scale engraving

From the initial idea to the actual installation took about 2.5 years. The chosen technological processes combine art, science, and technology, where each step brings a unique element to the final piece.

In Vratimov, each piece of the imaginary puzzle had to be precisely cut from glass and polished so that it fit beautifully into the assembled milled form, which had to be separated with a special mixture. The glass was then "laid down" – heated to 800 degrees Celsius and then slowly cooled. Afterwards, it was necessary to drill holes for anchoring elements, sandblast the glass, and lacquer it. Each step required extraordinary precision and care. And finally, careful transport of these fragile gems, the installation itself, and the ceremonial opening.

"This was my next public contract, the biggest one. It was demanding not only technologically but also logistically and communicatively. In the public sector, everything is monitored. Pricing this contract at a time when our country was suffering from the COVID pandemic was a great challenge. Material prices have doubled with the onset of the economic crisis. The contract was worth 1 million, but its value is three times that. Looking back, I see it as a great experience; I am glad that someone in a small town thinks in this way and gives space to Czech design," evaluated Eliška.