NAGAR GLASS FACTORY in Yangon, Myanmar

Hi there! 🙂

I’d like to share this article about an old glass factory in Yangon, in Myanmar, destroyed by the Nargis Cyclone the 2nd of May 2008.

I don’t remember how I discovered the Nagar Glass Factory. I suppose someone must have talked to me about it when I was living in Yangon. I didn’t wait a longtime to go and take a look. What I discovered was a huge area covered with tropical plants growing everywhere, an abandoned site, with no human post-Cyclone intervention.

A natural path already existing leaded to the house of a three generation Chinese family, owners of the factory. The house is open to the nature and the remaining surroundings of what once seemed to function well. This family lives there in discreet conditions because of the disaster but it seems they wouldn’t sell the property, even when Japanese people proposed to buy and reconstruct the factory. Under the shadow of the luxuriant surrounding vegetation, tiger mosquitos fly everywhere. I remember, I used to cover myself with tropical mosquito repellent every time I visited this place and the times I forgot it was a nightmare!

Still, this place is amazing! It’s a jungle in the city of Yangon. Narrow paths lead to what once was a glass factory. There are the remaining of the various workshops, the oven made with red briques,… Bottles, vases, plates, abandoned and mixed with the vegetation became part of the environment. In Myanmar, the humidity and the hot temperatures make the plants grow very quickly. I visited this place in 2011.

The owners of the place have a big table covered with glass objects for sell created in the past. They told me that I was free to search around and find anything I like, they’d clean or adjust it and sell it to me.

Going around this place, wondering and searching among the plants isn’t the easiest thing to do but it’s so exciting! I’ve found many objects here which became projects I exposed later in Europe. Like ©1853 candleholders inspired by the kerosene lamp discovered in 1853 (you can see a photo of the old kerosene lamp which inspired my ©1853 candleholders. Also, a small series of very fine glass vases, Christmas decorations, vases and many other treasures…

I wanted to create a project which unfortunately remained a project because of lack of time: A collection of combined glass sculptures, I still keep in my drawers. Who knows, maybe one day…

Here are some photos of the Nagar Glass Factory I’ve taken during my visits there:

I hope you liked reading this post. If yes, I invite you to put a Like. Also, I’d be very glad to reply to any questions or have your impressions.

Thank you for reading!