LBK Studio’s glass has been described as, “elegant, modern, and inventive, while demonstrating a virtuosity.” LBK’s aim is to create functional, interesting, and innovative objects that celebrate the everyday. After studying glass and textiles, Laura Kramer received a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, an MFA in Glass from Ohio State University and a Masters degree in Anthropology from Columbia University with a focus on material culture. LBK Studio was established in 2000 after traveling and working in such places as: NYC, New Orleans, Ebeltoft, Denmark, Murano, Italy, Yibo, the People’s Republic of China, and Kitengela, Kenya. LBK Studio’s work is influenced by: Scandinavian forms, the history of Murano and almost everything Kenyan. Laura Kramer has received various grants for her work, including a Rhode Island State Council for the Arts Fellowship for Design.
A LIST OF THINGS I LOVE ABOUT GLASS
• glass is a supercooled liquid material
• when hot, it's like honey
• a similar glass recipe that was written on a cuneiform tablet from the 7th century BC is still used today
• the spectacle of glassblowing
• it is a metaphor for the plane between the visible and non-visible, as it is a solid, yet transparent material
• folklore from various cultures referring to glass boats, slippers, mountains, palaces, cicadas in reference to the sacred and symbols of the underworld/afterlife or other mystical realms
• in the Byzantine Period (438 AD) the Thelodosian Code exempted glassmakers from taxation
• the myth that goblets from Renaissance Venice changed color when filled with poisonous liquid
• or that the best of the drinking glasses would shatter when they came in contact with a single drop of poison
• cannot be carbon dated
• glass as a currency and its role in colonial expansion
• the island of Murano any time of the year—especially in December
• the ability and power to create by giving life to a material, by giving it breath, spirit and also making it functional and useful.