Ambitious Norwegian glass designer, Beate Einen, will be exhibiting at her own stand at 100% Design during the London Design Festival.
After studying glass design and glassblowing in the UK, Sweden, France and the USA, Einen acknowledges the interplay of cultural influences that show up alongside her rigorous craftsmanship. “Scandinavia offers me the timeless simplicity of a minimalist language, while the English side plays out a sense of flippancy. I push the boundaries of versatility that glass offers by combining blown glass with various materials and objects, such as polystyrene beads, thread, or porcelain plates.”
“My work is not driven by technique, but by a search for the perfect form. When I studied glassblowing in Sweden, I watched the intricate teamwork between the designers and the specialized craftsmen of the Swedish glass factories. I was fascinated by how the complex and highly demanding aesthetics of glass-blowing forged an unbreakable link between craft, design, and art.”
In 2008 Beate Einen Glass & Design was established to design and produce a range of work from glass tableware and lighting design to one-of-a-kind original sculptures. Even though Einen produces most of the work herself, she also pulls together master craftsmen, designers and engineers who can meet the demands of larger projects.
“I love to experiment and exploit the range of inventiveness that glass offers me as an artist. I’m especially intrigued with the way light, when it is projected onto a glass surface, brings the glass to life, while the glass, in turn, accentuates how the light is refracted. For me, light and glass transform and bring each other to new aesthetic heights.”
In London, Einen will exhibit together with her Danish colleague and business partner Marie Retpen.
Beate Einen & Marie Retpen
100% Design, Stand J100
Earls Court, London
Thursday 23 September: 10.00 - 21.00
Friday 24 September: 10.00 - 19.00
Saturday 25 September: 10.00 - 18.00
Sunday 26 September: 11.00 - 17.00