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Some of the works displayed at Glass Creations

Tafadzwa Zimoyo Lifestyle Writer
It is often said that art is a lie that makes us realise truth and combine that with the rapid technological innovations taking place, the world of art has not been left behind. As the world spins on the technological axis, so does art which is embracing new and innovative ways of creation.

The genre has become more techno-savvy, with art designers unleashing their creative juices in ways that stagger the mind and eye while at the same time leaving them marvelling and awe-struck.

While in the past the traditional raw material and media were mainly material like wood, stone, wire, metal and fabric, this time around glass is taking centre stage.

One has to simply take a look around in order to appreciate the central role that glass plays in our day to day lives, be it at home, in the office or any other public places.

Apart from the adage that those who live in glass houses should not throw stones, you should not hate glass but it should become your best decor friend.

In the world of awards, if you don’t receive it in glass then gold, silver or bronze tops the list.

Glass Creations is a local company headed by Innocent Muswerakuenda that has taken the art of glass to new levels. Established seven months ago, the company has carved a niche for itself and has emerged as a dominant force in the area of creating artifacts like trophies, awards, corporate gifts and mementos. How many times have you seen people walking to the podium to receive their awards of excellence all made of glass?

Or how many times have you seen a corporate gift inscribed not only with someone else’s name but also their image? Talk of functional art and this is just the right type of art for you.

Glass creations is the brainchild of three business and techno-savvy vibrant businesspeople, namely Evans Bhunu, his brother Pride Bhunu and Innocent Muswerakuenda the business development executive.

But what inspired them to come up with this unique concept?

“We first saw the concept in Dubai at the airport where visitors snapped them up from the sales stands and we said, oh, can’t we do this at home?

“The inspiration to carry this on was further fired up by the fact that we all have business backgrounds and this alone gave us the confidence to test the waters,” explained Muswerakuenda.

And true to their words, their idea gestated and it became crystal clear to them that they would reap dividends from it. “We realised that a lot of people like to have their photos framed but wanted something different, novel-like from the normal wooden frames.

“We then decided to come up with photo crystals whereby the glass is formatted in the form of a crystal while a photo of the person or persons is contained inside. “We even went a step further by designing the wedding crystal which can be in the form of an engraved message inside a crystal or a photo of the couple inside.

“The messages and photos can be personalised to suit the occasion or event,” Muswerakuenda said.

Some of the products include crystal awards, crystal promotional material, crystal family memories and crystal gifts while key-chains, beverage-related items, office desktop gifts and ornamental glass clocks make up part of the catalogue.

But where do they get the material they use in their job?

“We buy the glass locally and also in South Africa. The materials we use include optical glass, crystal as well as ordinary glass. Our passion is always to come up with new ideas and also research more into the latest technological advancements,” added Evans Bhunu. His brother, Pride, chipped in, explaining that although the art form appealed to a wide range of people, tourists however were their biggest buyers.

“Tourists are our biggest market and our prices range from US$10 to US$1 000 depending on the specifications, size of the artifact as well as how much the client offers. It takes us about 24 hours to craft the ornament,” said Pride.

He added: “We also make prototypes of one’s car, house or house plans and these are for decorative purposes as well.”

So far we want to work with photographers especially those that take wedding pictures so that when they deliver the package, it should include the glassware style. Again we also put those pictures in glass. We do understand that the idea is still new but people should not only think that Western countries can do that. We can make such items too,” he said.

Muswerakuenda is a qualified accountant and holds a Bachelor of Accounting Science (Honours BCompt) from the University of South Africa (UNISA).

He is also a business executive with a local corporate.

So, next time you see people receiving glass awards at the Namas, Oscars or the Grammies, don’t be surprised to learn that they have been crafted by a proudly Zimbabwean firm.