About
Jochen Holz is a glass artist whose innovative and free employment of lampworking, a form of
glassblowing used primarily to make scientific equipment, is repurposing the technique in the
design and art world. Indeed, whilst he has received training in scientific lampworking, Holz has
chosen to practice it creatively, a radical departure from its traditional usage which positions him
as one of the few people working in his field in the UK.
Through extensive practice, Holz has developed a distinct language in his craft. One example is
his method for texturing clear glass tubes by pressing molten areas onto different surfaces such
as perforated metal or wood, resulting in textured, undulating tableware. Always pushing
perceived ideas of his material, Holz sees this tableware series–enriched with character, shape
and history–as the antithesis of Walter Benjamin’s idea that glass is a ‘material with no aura’
.
His work with neon is similarly original. Examining the possibilities of sculptural lighting, he
bypasses the conventional thin, wall-mounted lamps and opts instead for thick borosilicate glass
tubing to create free-standing 3D shapes and immersive light installations.
