Swedish Designers and Siyazama craftswomen team up to create 'Story Vases'

These amazing Story Vases were the vision of Renee Padt and Ikko Yokoyama, the creators of 'Editions in Craft', who worked with FRONT - a four girl design team from Sweden, and of course, the Siyazama craftswomen in Durban, South Africa. Prior to this, the BCXSY team from the Netherlands, had also worked with Siyazama to create the extraordinary COILED beaded forms.

The Siyazama women enjoyed both of these creative, unusual, processes a lot, which eventually placed their work in some of the most prestigious design platforms in Europe, in Japan, and in the USA. In New York City, I was thrilled to view both of these forms at the Museum of Art and Design (MAD) in Columbus Circle! The press cover was massive with coverage in numerous publications, such as Ethnic, De Zeen, Svenska Dagbladt, WE Magazine, L Officiel, Madame Figaro (Japan), TimeOut Moscow, LA Times, LA at Home, South African Home & Garden, New York Times, AXIS Japan, and Form in Worldly Things.

I was also lucky to be invited to watch the glass blowing practice at Konstfact Art and Design School in Stockholm, Sweden, in the making of the Story Vases. The process began in Durban, South Africa, with the Siyazama women being interviewed by FRONT. They were asked questions about what they most desire in their lives. The women responded most enthusiastically, to this enquiry, and their verbal responses were printed, and eventually beaded onto a fine wire grid. This 3D grid was posted to Sweden, where the molten glass was dropped into it and the beautiful Story Vases were created. 

Ikko and Renee checking the form

Swirling the molten glass

Molten glass is blown into beaded shape

Molten glass dropped into beaded form

STORY VASES on exhibition in Sweden

Fully beaded COILED SHAPE

Fully beaded COILED shapes

Ikko and Renee making the beaded shapes ready to be filled with molten glass.