Throughout the period of its existence, Elite Bohemia has cooperated with many Czech glassmakers on the production of traditional chandeliers with trimmings. These include, for example, Zdeněk Jelen (Brilia) from Světlá nad Sázavou or Milan and Milena Uhlíř (Miglass) from Nový Bor, whose work is distinguished by a wide spectrum of shapes and decorations in the glass components. A number of interesting collections of classic crystal chandeliers have been created during the periods of cooperation with the aforementioned glassworks. The current collection of designer light fittings called Crystalion Lights is the work of one of the most distinctive contemporary glassmakers, Jiří Pačinek.
"I first received contact details for Jiří from Milan and Milena Uhlíř," revealed Ing. Josef Chlum, the owner of Elite Bohemia. "Given the developments in the light fittings market, I wanted to expand the company’s production program to include designer light fittings and I was looking for a glassmaker with creative sensibilities and skilful hands, as well as the necessary facilities. Milan and Milena not only recommended Jiří Pačinek to me, but also set up our first meeting in the summer of 2018."
Josef Chlum’s first visit to Jiří Pačínek in his studio in Kunratice ushered in the possibility of further mutually beneficial cooperation. "I had heard about Jiří Pačinek’s work much earlier, but that was the first time that I saw his glass statues for myself in his gallery," recalled Josef Chlum. "And I have to say that I really liked them. His work with glass is phenomenal, he knows the material very well and the special glass-working techniques which he uses give the glass components unique properties. He is a person with whom I quickly found much in common. He likes challenges and is able to face them head on."
The agreement to cooperate together followed not long after that first meeting. The combination of the Elite Bohemia and Pačinek GLASS brands proved to be a very good step. Soon afterwards, the very close cooperation gave rise to the first prototypes for light fittings in a completely new collection, which at first glance bears the hallmarks of traditional Czech glassmaking, but at the same time reflects society’s attempts to return to simplicity.
The success of the first joint designer collection, Crystalion Lights, is the result of months of hard work by both parties. The pilot product for the new series was the LOG light fitting, which evokes a raw log, followed by the SEASHELL, AMULET and BRUT light fittings. "At present, we are concentrating on the development of other types of designer chandeliers and it is therefore just a matter of time before we launch our new products onto the market," added Josef Chlum.
Who is Jiří Pačinek
Jiří Pačinek was born in Litoměřice in 1972. Even though nobody in his family had ever been involved in glassmaking, he discovered the magic of molten glass when just a little boy, during a school trip to a glassworks in Nový Bor. This set the seal on his future career. In 1987, he began studying at the Glass Vocational School where he acquired an education and perfected his skills with some of the greatest masters of Czech glassmaking.
It then became absolutely clear that his whole life would be devoted to this beautiful craft, when he entered the legendary glassworks in Chřibská in 1990, after graduating.
This was followed by a number of international trips, for example to the USA, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and other glassmaking countries, where Jiří Pačinek had an exceptional opportunity to not only present Czech artistic glass, but also himself, his craftsmanship and the potential, which literally predestined him to create extremely large, yet detailed objects. These soon became so original and typical from the point of view of his distinctive glassmaking style that all that remained was to set himself up as an independent artistic glassmaker and established his own PAČINEK GLASS brand.
In addition to his own work, Jiří Pačinek has also cooperated with a large number of significant international artists, architects and designers. These creative meetings have given rise to many unique objects which have been included in the collections of international galleries and museums, as well as private collections.
