Creating voids in glass
- Désirée's practice moves between making, teaching and environmental commitment
- She challenged conventional glass aesthetics in the late 2000s to discover her own style
- She has participated in Venice Glass Week as an exhibiting artist
Désirée Sessegolo stepped into glassmaking in 2008, at first just seeking a creative outlet. She began with reclaimed glass but soon felt constrained by conventional techniques. “Smooth, uniform glass held little interest for me,” she notes. Désirée turned instead to her own path of research until her experiments led to her signature cellular glass method, defined by voids intentionally built into the structure. “The process is about physics,” she says. “Under heat, glass softens into a caramel-like state, fusing and moving until it finds equilibrium around the empty spaces I ‘draw’ into the composition.” Today she works mainly with Czech glass. Her practice is closely tied to her surroundings, the rich nature and local culture. "I helped organise the first National Glass Art Salon in Brazil in 2022," explains Désirée.
Interview
- What is your background, and how did you begin working with glass?
- I am a trained designer and I grew up surrounded by art materials as my mother is an art teacher, so scissors, glue and tools were always at hand. I sought a free artistic path and began working with ceramics, which I loved, and this exploration led me to glass.
- What was the feedback on your early experiments?
- My mentor said my experiments would not work, seeing the holes as defects. I saw possibility instead. Pushing those 'flaws' became the foundation of my creative language in glass.
- How do you apply your glass practice beyond the studio?
- Through my work at Fundição Guará, I extend glassmaking into the community. I work on transforming glass waste and teaching my craft for free to low-income groups.
- What environmental practices guide the way you operate?
- My studio, located in the Atlantic Rainforest, operates on solar energy, using spring water managed with care to minimise environmental impact.
Désirée Sessegolo is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2008 and she started teaching in 2022
Where
Désirée Sessegolo
