Originally an architect, Masao Adachi says he began studying glass as part of his exploration of space and form in architecture. It was meant to be a brief dabble, but he grew increasingly captivated by the beauty and freedom of a material capable of undergoing such dramatic transformations in shape and appearance. Before he knew it, he had wandered so far into the world of glass that there was no way back. Now, he devotes his life to working with glass, creating objects the likes of which have never been seen before.
There is something soft and feathery about Adachi’s creations — characteristics one rarely associates with glass. But when he began developing the series of works that showcase what he calls his silk-thread pattern, he says the image he had in mind was of a cocoon, the soft yet robust shelter a silkworm spins out of innumerable superfine fibers. Perhaps, then, “softness in glass,” to borrow Adachi’s own words, is indeed the perfect way to describe what he is striving for.
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