Molten Glass, Fired Clay – documentation of artist Renata Schirm working

Renata Schirm is renowned for her innovative and experimental approach to working with glass. Her works feature an interplay of light, colour, and form, often transcending the limits of traditional glass art. Schirm approaches her material with an exploratory, process-oriented mindset. She delves deeply into the properties of glass to reveal its multidimensionality in new ways.

Schirm frequently employs various techniques in her glasswork, resulting in pieces of differing character – many of which are techniques she has developed and refined herself.

In the video, Schirm is making Myriad (the Stars I Cannot See) (2024) commission piece for Collection Kakkonen exhibition. It consists of glass tubes made in the Czech Republic. Each tube is individually threaded and attached to a metal mesh using a technique reminiscent of knotting ryijy tufts. The technique is slow and physically demanding.

Filming and editing: Ari Karttunen / EMMA
Thank you: Yaritza Silva Lincopan, trainee