Studio Glassic

FOLLOW US AT

theglassmakersclub@gmail.com

Vineeta Oswal and Manoj Pilli are a ceramic and glass designer duo from the National Institute of Design. In 2017, they co-founded Studio Glassic to share and celebrate with the world the wonders in nature and the beauty of the handmade. Inspired by the tiny and incredible creatures inhabiting the Earth, their work is a free interplay of art, craft and design. Expressions in the realms of space elements and wearable-art are based in the use of green materials like glass, metal, wood and clay. Vineeta, a computer engineer and Manoj, a fine arts graduate in sculpture and visual communication joined the Masters Program at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad for their keen desire to explore glass. While NID instilled an aptitude for design and material skills, it also provided an exposure to the craft industry of India.

They have exhibited at Abhivakti 2020 – ‘Merak’ for the theme of ‘Love’ curated by Vyom Mehta and Serendipity Arts Festival 2019 – for the theme of ‘Kindling Change’ curated by Kristine Michael. Their involvement in crafts development projects have ranged from Glass Bead and Bangle making, Purdilnagar, Glass Flamework of Firozabad, Black Pottery of Nizamabad, and Longpi, Manipur and most recently Likir Pottery, Ladakh. Studio Glassic uses glass beads crafted by beadmaker Ishtiyak Ali of Purdil Nagar.

They live and work in Ahmedabad.

Our material practice is based in collaborative working with the glass artisans of Uttar Pradesh in India. The artisans through hot and cold glass processes handcraft the glass elements while the brass parts are sculpted by us through combination of metalworking techniques. The characters of the insect world, their behaviors and life processes, form the narratives of our artistic expressions. The subject and the arrangement are metaphors through which we share our experiences of thoughts, emotions, realizations, or patterns; of the mind and the body, as they unfold for us in the journey of human life. Resilience is that innate quality of our spirit which comes to the surface when our backs are hopelessly against the wall; when the times are darkest, when we are clueless about the outcome, yet we continue to absorb and push ourselves triggered by an emotion, of us leading a change. The series of artworks touch upon different aspects of our experiences in the Covid crisis. It is a reflection on the metamorphosis of self, a journey inwards and outwards.