Akasma

The Akasma baskets (low and high) and centrepiece tray are bent-glass objects. They revisit an ancient typology of baskets and trays with an innovative making process, resulting in a set of distinctive contemporary objects. In this project, architectural glass is reused from the highly technological production of an industrial-glass manufacturer. This makes these products eminently sustainable, as – being glass – they are also completely recyclable in themselves. In industrial manufacturing, bent glass is one of the most challenging materials to work with. It requires great control to achieve the desired form. This project demanded such a high level of technical precision that it almost became an industrial craft process. A lot of work went into precisely calculating the profile of the glass with the required tolerances.

First, the tempered glass had to be cut into a precise profile. Then a mechanized heating and bending process had to create the desired form with a very precise, clean line between the two parts. Finally the two identical parts were assembled into a single object. Pakhalé: ‘After carefully considering the material and manufacturing process, I wanted to create a series of glass objects which reveal how they were made. In doing so, I wanted to take the bent-glass process to its limits.’ Akasma means a sudden happening. This name was chosen for these glass objects to reflect the fact that they look as though they were born with ease and almost by chance. However, the actual making of the objects was very challenging.