Annette Douglas has been fascinated by the glass craft for many years. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Annette Douglas Textiles (2019), Annette Douglas started a journey on the subject of glass craft, with stops in the USA, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.

The work “Sketchblock” explores glass, light and perception through experimental objects developed as part of an ongoing design research process. The name “Sketchblock” refers to a sketch sheet — a space for freely testing ideas, where concepts evolve through making rather than predefined outcomes.

The starting point of each work is always identical: a glass block measuring 20 x 10 x 2.5cm. This defined format acts as a constant framework, comparable to a blank sketch sheet, allowing variation to emerge through experimentation rather than changes in form.

Rooted in Annette Douglas’ textile background, themes such as structure, rhythm, colour, density and movement are translated into material expressions in glass. The works investigate the relationship between transparency and opacity and explore how light shapes spatial perception.

The process is experimental rather than outcome-driven. Prototypes, studies and material tests function as a physical sketchbook in which ideas develop through making. Techniques such as casting, cutting and thermal transformation examine how materials respond to light, gravity and manipulation. Light becomes an active design element: surfaces capture, filter and reflect it, creating changing visual impressions depending on viewpoint and surrounding conditions.

Positioned between design, research and artistic practice, the objects function both as autonomous works and as investigations into material intelligence, informing future architectural and textile applications.