Glass craft

It is in the dialogue between the craftsworker and the designer/artist that the collaborative process of personal and professional interrelationships is established, whereby one person sometimes conceives of the design and the craft worker makes the piece. However, this interpretation is not at all linear, and in the specific case of glass (blown and architectural), owing to its technical complexity, it demands expert work by those who execute it. This paper will focus on the Portuguese glass panorama—that is, the relationship between studios, artists, and craftworkers—presenting innovative works and explaining the dialogues that occur during the process of glassblowing—the stories and methodologies. The paper will analyse designers’ creations; students’ research projects; and the last work done at Antunes heritage stained-glass studio, which I contributed to.