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Norway’s Buzzing Art Scene
From furnace to flower vases Tucked away in the region of Rogaland, Norway, a duo of artists is busy working with extremely high temperatures to shape the most special of materials: glass. Here at MingarWalker Glassblåseri, they seek to create functional elegance through the art of glassblowing.
glassmaking process to learn how the delicate pieces are formed, and to see how the artists put their entire soul into their work.
By Celina Tran
Handmade with love
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Photos: MIngarWalker
Enter the studio of MingarWalker Glassblåseri and you’re immediately greeted by vibrant colours, perfectly imperfect shapes, and an impressive heat bursting from the furnace. These are the markers of the ancient technique that is glass blowing – a perfect balance between art and science. The skill of a glass maker or blower is unique – requiring knowledge and focus, as well as a quick hand and great care. “Glass is a magical material,” says Line Mingar, one of the founders of the 38 |
Issue 143
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June 2022
MingarWalker. “Most people know glass as something fragile and breakable, but when I work with it, it’s 1,120 degrees, molten and soft like honey.” Most artists, whether they are painting a canvas or carving a face of marble, rely largely on the physical contact between themselves and the work. But a glassblower breathes life into their unique and beautiful art without touching it with bare hands until it is completed. At MingarWalker, visitors are invited to watch and participate in the
Line Mingar met her husband Benjamin Walker by the furnace in 1999. The burning passion for glassblowing brought them together, and the duo has been creating glass products ever since. In 2001, they purchased a building that, at the time, had a pigsty in it, and converted it into today’s MingarWalker shop and studio. While Line enjoys the rhythm and momentum of creating and finetuning the same pieces repeatedly, Benjamin prefers making a variety of pieces. The two opposites work both individually and together to produce the line of products for sale in the shop.
