Hollow Forms

The glass blowing industry in Palestine is both beautiful and technically advanced, and although glass production dates back to the Roman period, this particular industry has managed to survive for seven centuries. However, in recent years, due to the fragility of the political context and of the material itself, the exportation of glass blown products has decreased dramatically. The motivation of Hollow Forms is not nostalgic, it aims instead to revive glass blowing in Palestine by experimenting with contemporary forms and collaborating with local artisans to produce provocative collections. 

Architectural formalism, 3D software and renderings are used as communication tools between designer and maker. In this exchange, technology forms a bridge between ancient techniques and contemporary design, by looking back to move forward, to produce objects that will resonate a sense of place. 

Founder of Hollow Forms, Dima Srouji, is a Palestinian architect, designer, artist, and educator. Her work explores the power of the ground, its strata and its artifacts, revealing forgotten, silenced, or hidden narratives, specifically concerning Palestine. She works with glass, archives, maps, plaster casts, and film. Most of her projects are developed in close collaboration with archaeologists, geographers, anthropologists, and sound designers to develop work through interdisciplinary methodologies. Srouji is a graduate of the Yale School of Architecture and currently teaches design studios at Birzeit University in Palestine.

Hollow Forms works in collaboration with the Twam family in Jaba’, a historic village between Jerusalem and Ramallah. The Twams have 40 years of experience with glass, with three generations in the same family working in the shop in their home including; Abu Marwan Twam (Mohammad), Im Marwan (Maha), Marwan Twam, and Khalid Twam.