Creating and moulding glass has by and large remained a neglected artform in India. In fact, the art is largely unknown outside India’s glass city Firozabad, where there exists a few craft clusters that excel in glass artistry.
In an attempt to acquaint Indians with glass art and popularise this unique skill in the country, Reshmi Dey founded contemporary glass art studio Glass Sutra at Chhatarpur in 2017. “In spite of the tremendous potential, handmade glass in India is rare, simply because the opportunity to develop glass-making as a craft with an artistic approach continues to be non-existent,” shares Dey. Introducing the ‘Studio Glass’ concept in India, which is a skill-based and design-oriented approach, Dey’s mission is to share her knowledge and spur glassmaking in the country. Following the footsteps of the international studio glass movement—it originated in the US in the 1960s—Dey attempts to bring about a “much-needed momentum to the industry.”
Molten magic
The transparency and translucency of glass as well as the refraction and reflection of light on its surface had always intrigued Dey, who has been practising the craft for the past 20 years. Even though the sense of urgency related to working with the medium makes this art arduous and time-consuming, Dey states, “Glassmaking can be meditative. Controlling all emotions, being focused, and reaching a stage of oneness is the principle of meditation.” The ancient art of glass making is also a scientific craft; the most important part of glass art is temperature control. “One has to be aware of it and be alert all through the process of making any piece. Otherwise a piece will shatter and the artist will lose her work of the day,” adds Dey.
An admirer of works by American glass artist Dale Chihuly and Venetian visual artist Lino Tagliapietra, Dey is often influenced by their fragile creations and the intricacies of their designs especially within the glass. Speaking about the challenges she has faced, she mentions, “The Sustainability Wall project where I had to make pieces for a 32ft by 12ft wall through three different processes of glassmaking —blown, cast, and fused—was one of my most challenging works. Besides that, an individual piece of Aqua Fantasy through a cupcasing technique of handblown glass was quite a task for me and still is.”
Limitless prospects
Glass Sutra studio provides a space that allows Dey and those working with her “to express their commitment to artistic education, creativity, innovation, and experimentation through glass.” Working with a number of glass artisans around the country to make blown glass jewellery, Dey not just provides work to them but also makes many aware of the unlimited possibilities with glass.
“We have a mobile studio as well, which allows us to take our small furnace anywhere for demonstration and knowledge-sharing programmes,” she says. Glass Sutra also has a special ‘Glassperience Programme’ that allows people to visit the studio and experience the art themselves. Dey believes in sharing practical and technical knowledge about the art, especially with students.