“Everything we consume that once belonged to nature will eventually return,” says artist and eyewear designer Béla Bezold, who created lava-like glasses for the future. “So when I see a chair, a house, a phone, a lamp or a pair of glasses, I see raw nature.”
Bella grew up traveling between countries, moving about every three years, including to Tanzania’s port city of Tanga when he was four. He looks back fondly on Tanga and admires its lush mountain landscape, which influenced his view of the world and his craft as he grew older. “I became obsessed with what I now know as the idea of symbiosis and the relationship between the natural and man-made worlds, which still influences my work today.”
After moving to Germany, Kenya and finally back to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Bella studied at the Design Academy Eindhoven and developed his first pair of eyeglasses. He then founded his own studio, ITURA, which creates what he calls “art inspired by nature” while also commissioning exhibition pieces and pieces, including a recent show at the Van Abbemuseum.
glasses in studio
Glasses renderings to be released in a few months
Nature and its contrast with man-made objects guides everything he does and has influenced his visual language from the beginning. “One possesses wisdom that can only come from billions of years of evolution. The other possesses vast amounts of knowledge and power but forgets an important fact: it is also tied to the First World.” It is this imbalanced and unequal symbiosis that he is interested in challenging.
These macro questions led him to choose eyewear design as his medium of choice because he believed it encapsulated all the big themes he explored. “Glasses not only play a huge role in how we present ourselves and how we are seen, but it can also fundamentally change the way we see the world,” he explains. “Putting on a pair of orange glasses completely changes your mood and perception.” What’s more, he notes the evolution of eyewear, focusing less on functional design and more on decoration, almost like jewelry for the face. At ITURA, he subverts the concept of glasses and shows us that glasses can also trick the senses and make you look extra cool when you wear them.
Prototype of glasses worn by Seongbee Han
Object Rotterdam’s glasses and copper flowers
Object Rotterdam’s glasses and copper flowers
First pair of glasses, in design school
To create a pair, Bella didn’t follow any specific rules and described the entire process as “pretty chaotic.” Each piece requires a different approach and he often switches between programs such as Rhino, ZBrush and Blender, using 3D printing and scanning, hand editing and working with fabricators for final production. “When I start working, there is always a specific vision that becomes clearer, but my process is mostly driven by intuition.”
Currently, Béla is making his first batch of 3D printed metal sunglasses, which will be available for purchase on his website. He also wanted to make his pieces accessible, so he set a rule for himself: for every collection he made, he would win a pair via raffle. So who does Bella see wearing glasses? “Anyone, really – or at least anyone willing to take the risk.”
