Like 'Elemental''s Ember, Hayne Park blows life into glass

The fiery main protagonist in Pixar Studio’s animated film “Elemental,” Ember's glassmaking ability does not mean that only fictional characters with blazing superpowerscan bring such beauty to fruition.

Hayne Park, 33, is a craftsperson as well as an artist specializing in glass and lighting. [GLORYHOLE LIGHT SALES]

As the fiery main protagonist in Pixar Studio’s animated film “Elemental,” Ember's glassmaking ability does not mean that only fictional characters with blazing superpowers can bring such beauty to fruition. In reality, glass artistry is also full of infinite possibilities in terms of usage and even design, as proven by Hayne Park, 33.

As a craftsperson as well as an artist specializing in glass and lighting, Park highly resembles Ember. Her glassware runs the gamut of shapes and sizes, with complex textures that simultaneously appear spiky and flowy. Picture an icicle that refroze after drastically shapeshifting. Paradoxical as that may seem, Park has no problem bringing that paradox to life.

“I have heard that often lately,” Park giggled when the Korea JoongAng Daily asked if she is aware of Ember’s character during an interview at her studio earlier this month. She was even wearing a flame-red dress, albeit unintentionally.

Hayne Park's human heart glassware was featured in girl group Le Sserafim's teaser for album "Unforgiven." [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Park’s special glassware has been featured as an illuminating human heart in a trailer for girl group Le Sserafim’s first full-length album “Unforgiven” as well as in the interior bulb lighting for local donut brand Knotted’s store at Lotte World Mall in southern Seoul.

But Park’s glassware shines, both literally and figuratively, not merely due to the brands it is associated with, but because each piece has a life of its own, as demonstrated in her latest collaboration with domestic luxury fashion brand Wooyoungmi in its 2024 Spring/Summer (S/S) collection, which was showcased in Paris in late June 2023.

Taking Jeju Island as its motif and showcasing the island's haenyeo (women divers), the collection had ocean imagery and Park matched the outfits with glass jewelry, including earrings and purse handles, resembling natural tidal waves.

Hayne Park's glass jewelry in her latest collaboration with domestic luxury fashion brand Wooyoungmi in its 2024 Spring/Summer collection, which was showcased in Paris in late June 2023. [GLORYHOLE LIGHT SALES]

Due to their delicacy, Park’s glassware is made with a price: No working air conditioner at her studio no matter how hot the weather is, as glassmaking is only possible in temperatures of 1,000 degrees Celsius.

This restricts her to working a maximum of 30 minutes at a time during the summer, and she was already sweating five minutes after wielding her flaming torch which caused an upsurge of heat.

But it was a brief journey into experiencing the sort of “habitat” allowing the glass to flow and transform effortlessly compared to a room temperature setting. Living conditions for humans, Park said, are “too cold” for the fragile material, forcing it to harden into a “frozen” state.

The following interview was edited for length and clarity.

Glassware made by Hayne Park [GLORYHOLE LIGHT SALES]

Q. What is the meaning behind “Gloryhole Light Sales”? How did you come up with the name?A.A glassblowing facility requires a “glory hole,” which is a tube-like chamber that reheats the temperature to 1,000 degrees Celsius in the process of shaping the glass since it hardens when at room temperature.

“Light Sales” is from the first exhibition I ever did that featured my light fixtures, so I wanted my studio to continue to be reminiscent of a business that centered on glass lighting.

What kind of stories do you try to convey through your glass works? I try not to have 100 percent control over the glass. For example, glass is not a liquid that flows like water; it is very thick, which helps it morph into its own shape by the force of gravity. Glassware is created not by shaping it into the perfect form that I intended, but when natural forces and the artist come together in harmony. That’s why, to me, glass is like an organism. It gives me the impression that it has life.

Hayne Park's glass jewelry in her latest collaboration with domestic luxury fashion brand Wooyoungmi in its 2024 Spring/Summer collection, which was showcased in Paris in late June 2023. [GLORYHOLE LIGHT SALES]

Tell us more about the jewelry you designed for Wooyoungmi for its 2024 S/S collection. My glassware is similar to living organisms but they resemble sea creatures more than land animals. The theme that Woo also wanted was jellyfish, so when she saw the works in my studio she said that it was exactly the kind of vibe she wanted for her her jewelry.

And you’ll notice how my glassware does not have the usual smooth transparent surface; some have texture as I make them by layering the glass on top of each other [like taffy]. This makes them look unique, and I do this because I want to portray them as alien deep-sea creatures – those that exist beyond our imagination.

Hayne Park's glass jewelry in her latest collaboration with domestic luxury fashion brand Wooyoungmi in its 2024 Spring/Summer collection, which was showcased in Paris in late June 2023. [GLORYHOLE LIGHT SALES]

What else makes your glassware stand out? I like to put colored feathers inside the glassware, which is where the pigments come from. These feathers allow the color to penetrate through the glass without dimming the lights. At the same time, the lights aren’t blinding, which is important because I think of the entire light fixture as my work, so I want users to be able to look at them exactly as they are.

"Ghost Casper" by Hayne Park [GLORYHOLE LIGHT SALES]

What makes glass special from other materials often used in crafts, like ceramics, wood, fabric or metal?

It’s difficult to firmly define where glass stands between a solid and a liquid. I personally think it’s right in the middle of the two. There is a story that says when glass lasts longer than humans – let’s say several hundred million years into the future – it will change its form. Basically what this means is that although it seems like glass is motionless during the time humans are living in this world, it is continuously evolving on its own timeline. What’s melted can be frozen again, and what’s frozen can be melted again. So I see glass as a substance that is in a frozen state, rather than a permanently fixed one.

Hayne Park demonstrates the glassmaking process in her studio "Gloryhole Light Sales" in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Aug. 3. [SHIN MIN-HEE]

In Korean society, crafts are still underappreciated in terms of how much of a role they can play in our lives. How do you think we should overcome this barrier? My opinion is limited to glassware, but I think that many people are unaware of how much glass is already being used in our everyday lives. Glass is all around us. Your phone screens, computer screens and even this cup is made from glass. Even science has evolved along with the help of glass: It’s been used for the lenses in microscopes and telescopes. I hope the perception of glass goes beyond the field of crafts and that people become conscious of the fact that it is already everywhere.

″Clear Fire″ by Hayne Park [GLORYHOLE LIGHT SALES]

What are your plans as both an artist and craftsperson moving forward? I’m participating in an exhibition this month that tries to look at the world through the lens of glass. Room temperature is too cold for glass and it is only fluid in temperatures of 1,000 degrees. Movement is one aspect that defines a living being, and although glass can move, it is only under certain conditions that do not match those suitable for humans.

The exhibition’s theme is glass, but I do not necessarily think that the result should remain that way. One of the exhibition pieces incorporates glass with ice. There’s always a stereotype that glass is fragile and dangerous but I hope that with my glassware people will be able to see how full of life glass can be.

“Piu Forte,” a show by Park and artist Goyoson, kicks off Aug. 18 and runs until Sept. 7 at White Noise in Seocho District, southern Seoul.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]