Why are you so fascinated by silver?
I am quite a hammerer and basher, and as a forgiving metal, silver suits my temperament. But I also love it because I want to make things that can be used, and you can drink and eat from silver. The objects I make don’t have to be just functional or sculptural, they have to cross that divide.
Why do you combine sliver and glass?
Using silver, I’ve always missed colour. For a long time I kept things quite muted but then I did my residency at Edinburgh Zoo and I got very excited by the pelicans and flamingos there, and I realised you can say more about the work by adding a little bit of colour. Glass is the perfect medium: vibrant and functional.
© Rachel Hein
Your creations seem to inhabit an enchanted kingdom...
I had a brilliant book of Greek mythology that my parents used to read to me and that, combined with the fantastic creatures I’ve met travelling around the world, inspired me. Now, looking at the magical world that surrounds me, I want to play with myths and legends from Scottish folklore.
Do you like to include a sense of playfulness?
When I was making automata for my degree, I realised that if you put a handle on something, someone will come up, turn the handle, and smile as the object moves. This desire to make people smile brought me to tableware. For example, when you pour a drink from a silver bird bottle, the bird’s beak will unexpectedly open.