Products from Surface of Light / Hodaka Higashi・YALI Glass ＋ KITAWORKS・TENNEN

Hodaka Higashi is a glass sculptor. Born in Miyagi Prefecture in 1989, he encountered glass production for the first time at the age of eighteen as a student at Akita Municipal Junior College of Arts and Crafts. He was immediately fascinated by the transformative characteristics of the material and committed himself to further studies of glass work, graduating from Toyama Institute of Glass Art in 2012. He currently resides in Akita City, where he carries out all of his production independently at Araya Glass Studio. His work places the highest value on marks of individuality and the variations that are part of handwork and craft production. His facet cut glass works include perfume bottles, sake cups, and other objects.

This is a collaborative project made together with Arts & Science, YALI Glass from Venetia, Italy, directed by owner and designer Marie Rose Kahane, and furniture studio KITAWORKS. This collaborative work combines YALI Glass’ unique organic form of glasswork and KITAWORKS’ experience and skills in metal work.

The design duo Sarah Swartz Wessel and Ethan Wessel founded Tennen Studio in Arizona in 2001. The studio takes its name from the Japanese word for natural. Their work draws from their background in architecture and emphasizes beauty, utility, and delicacy.