sarah roseman unveils soft silica, a new material made from knitted glass

soft silica: between textile and glasswork 

after almost a year worth of research, canadian designer sarah roseman develops soft silica – a new material that lies at the boundary between textile and glasswork. striving to find innovative and sustainable industry alternatives, she began her research by thinking about the possibilities of glass and experimenting with knitting glass fibers. from that point on, she delved into many different applications of the ‘hybrid’ medium and ended up with an ever-growing archive of samples.

circular knitted glass

the intricate possibilities of melted glass 

the process of creating soft silica begins by melting fiberglass in a kiln. once it reaches a ‘soft’ state, roseman can easily manipulate the glass and knit it into complex shapes. as the designer explains, ‘glass is a dynamic material, and the technique of slumping allows delicate control over the movement of its molten state. the beauty of working with glass in this way is the ability to see the melting material caught in midair, creating a material that can look like it is suspended in time.’

showing the movement of glass in a static object, stretching as it slumps

the project currently consists of glass tapestries and sculptural vessels that combine the tactility of textile with the vibrance of glass. another direction of the research focuses on integrating copper wire inside the glass and allowing electricity to flow through it to power light sources. since copper wiring can be integrated when the material is still flexible, roseman can run lines through the final fused glass object quite accurately.

intricate glass structures are revealed in the fusing process

glass drip sample

glass lace sample

detail image of a glass tapestry

project info:

name: soft silica
design: sarah roseman

year: 2021

program: graduation design academy eindhoven

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lea zeitoun | designboom