“My work is sometimes unbelievably big.”

Artist and designer Arnot Visser (61) has made his home in the heart of Arnhem's Lombok district for nearly a quarter of a century. Here his passion for glass design and processing surrounds him. In addition to the many works of art that can be admired in Arnaout's home, his creative process also begins at home. The basement of his house is his workplace and studio.

Arnott's adventure in Arnhem began during his school years, and he moved to the city when he enrolled to study product design at the ArtEZ Academy of Arts. His interest in shaping and creating different objects began at an early age: “At first I experimented with materials such as clay, stones and iron wire,” he says enthusiastically.

Use natural laws

In Arnhem, Arnaud turned his passion into his career as a product designer and artist. Glass is often the basis of his designs. “I am fascinated by using natural laws in my creations,” he explains. “Working with glass is interesting and exciting, because it behaves in a special way. Over the years, I have developed a knowledge and love of making things with it.

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Interior design by Arnaout with his glass art

Functional art

Arnott describes his creations as “functional art,” because they often also serve a practical purpose. “I mainly focus on products that can be used around the table, like lighting or vases. These products fit into virtually any interior design, including my own. Lots of Arnaout's creations Hence it can be found in his house. “I love having them around.”

Sometimes my works are incredibly large objects that could not be made of glass.

Arnot Visser

“Big Mushroom”

All of the works in Arnaout's interior feature distinctive shapes. “In my opinion, they're really great products,” Arnott says. “My works are sometimes incredibly large objects that cannot be made of glass.”

An example of this is the so-called Big mushroom. This name comes from its shape, which is reminiscent of a mushroom. “That's because glass is for this,” Arnott explains Big mushroom It takes its shape by gravity and by blowing a glass agent into it. The material is not formed in a mold, but rather in a natural way. This is related to natural shapes such as the mushroom shape.

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In front of Arnaout's workplace and studio

Home, workplace, storage and studio

Arnott works extensively with a team of glassblowers and two apprentices Sharyl and Jim. They help in the making and finishing process. “Thanks to all these professionals, my ideas can be developed. I also think that working with them is the best part of it.”

Durable materials

Although Arnott prefers glass, he also uses other materials to make items. He uses waste materials such as plastic or old baskets to make molds or build works of art. For example, above the dining table there is a lamp made from used bottles. “These bottles are then sawed and hit with sand to create a sort of lampshade, with a piece of waste glass as a counterweight.”

Would you like to take a look inside Arnaout? You can see more pictures below: