What do you love most about your profession?
I love the versatility of glass, because there are so many ways to shape it, but also the influence this profession has had on my personality. It requires constant practice of creativity, presence of mind, discipline and patience. Teaching the craft to others is also very fulfilling.
What was the first object you made?
The first work I made in glass was a sculpture that portrayed my view on the connection between the object itself and its shadow. It was a work comprised of two pieces of glass, one made by glassblowing and the other made by fusion, with metal and wood.
© Marius Șumlea & Craft Magazine
How would you explain your practice?
I work with various glass techniques, from hot glass to coldworking. I like to experiment a lot and challenge the behaviour of glass as much as possible. I combine glass with different materials like rusted iron and wire fishing nets, and put together pieces of glass made with different techniques.
What kind of themes do you tackle?
I recently explored the dialectic between the conventionally perceived beauty in glass and what is seen as flawed but equally expressive – like a fragile and sensual piece obtained through slumping or a rough glass frame intentionally cracked but polished.