About us

Simply put, we fuse glass in a kiln. But then again, nothing is simple when it comes to glass. It has such an amazingly complex personality, that only with love, patience, expertise, vision and a bit of luck can it be transformed into contemporary kiln art glass.

Our current focus in the studio is to produce beautiful and unique art glass jewellery and contemporary glass artworks. We are inspired by the African continent we live on, the magnificence of the ocean nearby, the timeless purity of the forest around the studio and the harmony of geometries found in the very essence of life itself.

We welcome special projects and commissions for unique focus pieces, architectural art glass panels, luminaires and interior and exterior installations. With our architectural background we are able to work with the consultant team and clients to visualise, design and implement glass installations to transform space and add that special bit of magic.

Helga Stassen is a qualified professional architect. She has always been mesmerized by the possibility to sculpt with light and has often found herself transfixed in a cathedral being showered in coloured light. Having an insatiable need to make things by hand and having discovered the wonders of kiln-formed glass in 2009, she decided to depart from her architectural career to pursue her passion in working with this alchemical medium fulltime. 

Helga is an eternal student. Between 2000 and 2010 she lectured and taught construction and design at various institutions including the Universities of Edinburgh, Cape Town and Pretoria. To further deepen her glass knowledge she has attended courses in the United States, UK and Italy, and visited many places of glass significance including Murano, Corning, Tacoma, Portland and more. She continues to explore and experiment with glass to understand the intricate marriage between technical expertise and pure inspiration. 

 

Below is a short video on Glass Roots which appeared on Kyknet's Ontbytsake  in March 2020.

A video on Helga and Glass Roots which aired on Tuine en Tossels in August 2012.