Hollow Forms IV
Phoenician Pigeons:
Over the last year, Dima Srouji has been doing research on the textures of glass artifacts found on the Eastern Mediterranean coast. Some of the glass work that continues today in Jaba and Hebron, Palestine resembles some of these fragments that can still be extracted from archaeological sites. The textures were historically produced from a mixture of plant ash from plants found on the coast as well as ground seashells. The marbled effect found in the “Phoenician” glass in Palestine today is a continuation of the aesthetics of the process of production created centuries ago.
Abu Marwan Twam (Mohammad), Im Marwan (Maha), Marwan Twam, and Khalid Twam run a single family glass shop in Jaba’, Palestine where Hollow Forms are made. After working with them for three years, the team magically discovered that the small vessel giveaways at Dima’s parent’s wedding in 1988 that were designed by her mother were in fact made by them over 30 years ago. The wedding collection beautifully highlights the Phoenician textures that have passed on over generations.
Phoenician Pigeons were born out of this research and family history, with the added inspiration of the pigeon forms very commonly found in ancient glass vessels from the region. The combination of the form and texture come together with a new collection that embraces the context of the history of glass in Palestine in a new way for Hollow Forms. It is Hollow Form’s first textured collection.
