Shanghai Museum of Glass
The Shanghai Museum of Glass (abbreviation: SHMOG, Chinese: 上海玻璃博物馆 ) is a privately funded museum park dedicated to glass, located in the Baoshan District of Shanghai, China.[1][2] It is a 22,000 m2 multi‑functional museum park with 20 thematic exhibition halls and venues.[3] The museum is adapted from two existing buildings, a former glass bottle factory and a warehouse of Shanghai First Glass Labware Factory, a subsidiary of Shanghai Glass Company Ltd.[2] (Chinese: 上海轻工玻璃仪器一厂) which went through several transformations since 2009 and was turned into a cultural destination in 2011. Opened in May 2011, it represents the first museum in China to focus solely on the art, history, and science of glass.[4]
The museum offers a diversity of glass themed educational contents and activities: a thematic museum of glass history, science and art, Kids museum of glass, contemporary glass art and design exhibitions, live glass performances and DIY workshops. Programs, such as Kids Design Glass program[5] in collaboration with Museum of Glass in Tacoma and the opening of Kids Museum of Glass in 2015, are examples of the museum's effort to become a family-friendly cultural institute.
History[edit]
The Shanghai Museum of Glass is situated on the site of what used to be the 'Shanghai First Glass Labware Factory', a subsidiary of Shanghai Glass Company Ltd. in the Baoshan District. The factory, divided into 31 smaller units, specialized in the manufacture of high-grade glassware for various sectors including chemical, oil, and medical industries.[6]
The museum's main hall features two large industrial kilns and a large hot glass forming machine, elements that illustrate the site's industrial history. Established in 1958,[6] Shanghai Glass Company shifted its focus from mass production to lower-level manufacturing and storage by the early 2000s, leading to a halt in production at the factory in 1997. The concept to convert the site into a museum was proposed in 2008 by Mr. Zhang Lin, the former president of Shanghai Glass Company. This resulted in the inauguration of the Shanghai Museum of Glass in May 2011.
The trajectory of Shanghai's glass industry has been influential in shaping the museum. The city's Jinghua Glass Factory was one of the first in China to use a pool furnace and automatic machinery for producing glass containers in the 1930s.[6] Mass manufacturing of glass took off during the mid-20th century, reaching a high point in the 1980s following the introduction of technologically advanced machines.
Key production sites were based in Baoshan and Minhang, with the former housing Shanghai Glass Company and the latter home to ACI Shanghai Glass Limited. As the late 1990s saw a surge in costs, glass manufacturing began relocating to second-tier cities like Zhaoqing in Guangdong, and to international cities such as Ho Chi Minh City and Jakarta. This led the Shanghai Glass Company to stop production at its No. 1 Factory in 1997.
Architecture and Exhibition Design[edit]
The Shanghai Museum of Glass is located within the renovated premises of a former glass-making factory. German architecture firm logon [7]was responsible for redesign of the building and masterplan for the museum park.[8]
The Museum's founding committee invited the German architectural team Tilman Thürmer [9] and his Shanghai-based design studio COO (COORDINATION ASIA) to design the Museum exhibition based on a concept juxtaposing past and present.
In 2011, the museum complex comprises two main structures: the main exhibition hall and the "Hot Glass Show" area. The layout integrates the industrial history of the location with contemporary design elements.
Developments[edit]
Since its opening, the museum has been growing steadily. Every year, one or two new venues, exhibition halls, visitor attractions, or other facilities have been added. The museum space increased from around 2,000 m2 to over 20,000 m2 between 2011 and 2023, and the collection grew from 117 to 3,990 pieces up to December 2022. In 2023, the museum launched a virtual experience - NXT[10].
Collections[edit]
The collections at the Shanghai Museum of Glass traverse various periods, cultures, and disciplines. Exhibits feature both ancient and modern glass artifacts, reflecting a broad spectrum of glassmaking techniques. The collection not only houses pieces from international and local artists, demonstrating the diversity and evolution of glass art, but also highlights innovative applications of glass across different domains such as design and technology.
Since the museum's inauguration in 2011, the permanent collection has seen consistent growth, acquiring an average of 6-10 pieces annually. This has led to an increase in the total collection from 60 pieces in 2011 to 231 by 2021. The museum curates exhibitions to acquire art pieces and thereby builds its permanent contemporary glass art collection.[11][12]
The museum's collection represents the work of approximately 50 artists from 11 countries, including China, the UK, US, Japan, Finland, Slovakia, Germany, Denmark, Czech Republic, Italy, Australia, and France.[13]
Examples include 'Bricks, from the open wall' by Sheng Shanshan of China, which uses Venetian Murano crystal glass making techniques to recreate bricks of the Chinese Great Wall, and 'The beauty of danger' by Germany's Josepha Gasch-Muche, reflecting the Bauhaus theory of pursuing the essence of materials. Other noteworthy pieces include Jeannet Iskandar of Denmark's 'Between Fragments: oval', 'Dinosaurs' by Lino Tagliapietra of Italy, renowned for his glassblowing, and 'Marinaresco' by Toots Zynksy of the US, celebrated for her heat-formed glass thread technique. The collection also boasts works by Chinese glass artist Han Xi, such as 'Frozen night scene'.[14]
Recognition, Awards and Publications[edit]
The Shanghai Museum of Glass is a AAAA National Tourist Attraction[15]
List of Awards[edit]
Kids Museum of Glass 2.0, winner of German Design Awards 2022[16]
Kids Museum of Glass 2.0, Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design 2021[17]
Kids Museum of Glass 2.0, “Best-of-Best” of ICONIC AWARDS 2021: Innovative Architecture
Kids Museum of Glass 2.0, Long list of Dezeen Awards 2021
Shanghai Museum of Glass, “Best-of-Best” of Iconic Award for Innovative Architecture 2018
Rainbow Chapel, winner of German Design Award 2017[18]
Kids Museum of Glass, Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design 2016[19]
Rainbow Chapel, Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design 2016[20]
Design Wing, Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design 2016[21]
Rainbow Chapel, winner of ICONIC AWARDS 2016
Kids Museum of Glass, winner of German Design Award 2016[22]
Kids Museum of Glass, winner of ICONIC AWARDS 2015
Reference section[edit]
- ↑ Jianhong, XIA; Jianfeng, LU; Baochun, ZHOU; Huizhen, TAN (2009). "A preliminary study on fish communities in Suzhou Creek, Shanghai". Journal of Lake Sciences. 21 (4): 538–546. doi:10.18307/2009.0413. ISSN 1003-5427.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "OPENING: Shanghai Museum of Glass celebrates Venini's 90th anniversary". UrbanGlass.
- ↑ "馆长对话｜张琳：博物馆里，所有的一切都关乎玻璃". 澎湃新闻.
- ↑ "Shanghai Museum of Glass logon | urban.architecture.design". Archdaily.
- ↑ Hoffman, Lisa M.; Thatcher, Jim E. (2019-04-03). "Urban studies and thinking topologically". Territory, Politics, Governance. 7 (2): 141–155. doi:10.1080/21622671.2017.1351887. ISSN 2162-2671.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Arnold, Frances (2014). Shanghai Museum of Glass. 辽宁科学技术出版社. ISBN 978-7-5381-8430-3. Search this book on
- ↑ "La memoria della fabbrica. Logon, Shanghai Museum of glass, Shanghai". re.public.polimi.it. Retrieved 2023-07-06.
- ↑ "Shanghai Museum Of Glass". Logon Design Official Website.
- ↑ "Shanghai Museum Of Glass". Museums.
- ↑ ""未来等于现在" 上海玻璃博物馆元宇宙项目"SHMOG NXT"正式发布". 中国新闻网. 2023-05-22.
- ↑ "上海玻璃博物馆2011年报" (PDF). Shanghai Museum of Glass Official Website.
- ↑ "上海玻璃博物馆2021年报" (PDF).
- ↑ "上海玻璃博物馆2022年报" (PDF).
- ↑ "Collections & Research 收藏与研究". Shanghai Museum of Glass Official Website.
- ↑ "上海玻璃博物馆获批4A景区".
- ↑ "Kids Museum of Glass 2.0". German Design Awards.
- ↑ "Kids Museum of Glass 2.0". Reddot.
- ↑ "Rainbow Chapel". German Design Awards.
- ↑ "Kids Museum of Glass". Reddot.
- ↑ "Rainbow Chapel". Reddot.
- ↑ "Design Wing". Reddot.
- ↑ "Kids Museum of Glass". German Design Awards.
External links section[edit]
Shanghai Museum of Glass Official Website
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