BENGALURU: Prinita Thevarajah equates glass blending to meditation. In a recently-conducted workshop in the city, the multidisciplinary artiste shared the art form which interested and intrigued many. Thevarajah uses the blowtorch technique to create glassware that celebrates the uniqueness of simple shapes.
Thevarajah, who lives and works between Sydney and Brooklyn, tries to explore her Sri Lankan roots through her work. She is known by her brand Kapu, meaning bangle in Tamil. Her work is inspired by her Jaffna heritage, as she creates glass vessels that symbolise the Tamil alphabet. Having always hoped to create art using her own hands, she wanted to create something that showcases her ever-evolving identity.
Thevarajah mentions that the idea for her first workshop in India came about as a collaboration with No Borders, a community that tries to create a sustainable marketplace to bring together diversity in fashion, culture, and art.
“A lot of my sales come from people in India. The thing about shipping is that it can be very fragile and Indian customs are a challenge. No Borders wanted me to come over and do some workshops with them,” says Thevarajah, adding she will be going back to New York and London to do some workshops.
Elaborating about the blowtorch method, she says, “You have to work on your breath and it is physically taxing. It makes you aware of your body. In my class, I’ve always been open about that. It’s a way for people to combine body awareness with the creation of something new,” explains Thevarajah, who uses fun colours. She further adds, “People associate it with danger because of fire and glass so it can feel a bit intimidating but I try to make it beginner-friendly.”
She started her journey initially by making neon glasses while living in New York. “I was doing a Masters in Arts Education and I couldn’t afford living in New York so I started taking classes. It is a dying art now since people opt for LED electronics since neon glasses are clogged with gas. I started playing with the glass and posted it on my Instagram handle and lots of people were interested in buying it. So I decided to sell and somehow eventually started making vases, candles, and flowers. Some people were really drawn to it,” says Thevarajah, who started practising in 2018, and started teaching in 2022.