Babel Me Exhibiting Artist & Artwork
Artis Nimanis // Glass Bike

Glass Bike, 2015
Mechanical Glass Installation
Glass Bike is a part of brand GLASS MUSE under the product line For Ride. Unique glass vehicle – the first functional glass bicycle in the world. The authors of the glass bicycle are Latvian glass designers Artis Nīmanis and Gatis Vasiļjevs. By taking the challenge of combining the fragility of glass with movement and speed, we have created this miracle of functional design.
As the glass undergoes a rapid transformation of heat, air and touch, so too does the artist, as he or she controls the amount of heat, air and movement necessary to create the desired form. Time and experience create wrinkles and changes in the face of people, just as within material. The essence of the person, who not only visually ages over time, but also changes his or her views, feelings and philosophy, emerges in the external image.
Artis Nimanis is one of the best-known Latvian glass artists. His work has been shown in both solo and also group exhibitions all over the world, including Europe, the USA, Russia and Japan. Nimanis’ experimentation with the latest technologies in glass-blowing has won him praise within the contemporary art world and his unique style gives each one of his pieces an individual “personality”. His work is aesthetically enhanced by careful illumination, which gives it a radiant visual quality while allowing the sculptures to serve a dual functional purpose as individual lightning fixtures.