With her project ‘Soft Silica’, designer Sarah Roseman experiments with glass fibre textile, turning the material into intricate structures after firing.

Roseman uses glass fibres in a textile form, after which the material is fired to create objects. According to her, the material offers advantages compared to working with traditional glass sheets. Its flexible soft state allows it to be moulded into complex shapes with a lot of detail.

One direction of the project uses copper wire inside the glass to allow electricity to flow through the material, powering a light source. The wiring can be integrated while the material is still flexible, which means it is possible to accurately run the wires through the object once it is finished. “The resulting material shows the movement of the melting of glass and carries surprising tactility that shows textile in a new way,” Roseman says. “This glass work technique is a dialogue between the textile and the kiln, as both parts of the process can be adjusted in order to achieve different results.”

Roseman used this technique to create glass tapestries and sculptural vessels, but will continue to experiment. The project was on display during Dutch Design Week 2021.

Photos: Barry Llewellyn