Light as a Design Element Between Control and Chance — Bachelor's Thesis by Gil Kamphausen

Perfection is often considered the benchmark for quality, especially in glass. This bachelor's thesis questions this understanding and examines the tension between control and chance in the glassmaking process.

Using experimental materials research, imperfections are deliberately created and investigated with regard to their design and light-aesthetic effects: air inclusions, uneven color gradients, and structures within the glass.

Process
At the furnace, temperature, timing, and tools are controllable. How the material reacts, however, is only partially controllable. In a series of experiments, these reactions were deliberately provoked and documented. Each object is the result of the same process, but with a different outcome.

Light
Light is the central design element of the work. It penetrates the glass and makes every irregularity visible. What would be considered a flaw in a drinking glass becomes character in the object.

The result is a series of glass objects that demonstrates how consciously allowing material-related processes can generate new aesthetic qualities. The work understands glass not only as a material, but as an active co-creator and opens up a new perspective on the value of imperfection.