To See a World in a Grain of Sand
Atelier NL calls for sand samples from all over the world to make region-specific glass.
Atelier NL co-founders Nadine Sterk and Lonny van Ryswyck, said that they saw the project as a way to engage audiences with both design and the environment. "From students and scientists to neighbours, children and artists, we bring people into our process," they said. "By becoming part of our work, they begin to appreciate the wealth of local areas in new ways and thus identify more deeply with their surroundings. (...) We would like to engage people both with our work and the future possibilities of design via sand as a versatile and diverse medium. Each grain of sand tells a story of connection between local materials and humankind over time." The studio hopes that the project also alerts the industry to the potential application of sand in its wild forms, noting that current glass manufacturing uses exclusively pure white sands from a few quarries.