Most products are designed to be seen. Jakub Pollág designs to be understood. In this talk, he dissects the decisions behind his work — the materials, the manufacturing, the meaning — and makes the case that quality isn't a finish. It's a way of thinking. Why does it take time? What quality costs, what it reveals, and why it's worth it.

coming soon

Join moldmaker Greg Allen and glass artist Adam Holtzinger for a lecture and live demonstration exploring how ideas become mold-blown glass. Beginning with the fundamentals of mold design, materials, and fabrication, they will examine how artistic intent is translated into a functional tool and ultimately into a finished object. Through three live demonstrations, attendees will see how different mold designs influence the making of glass while revealing the collaborative process between designer, moldmaker, and glassblower.

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Felicia Hung is the co-founder of In Common With and Quarters. Her design practice is driven by an obsession with craft, materials, and the often-invisible processes that bring objects to life. She and co-founder Nick Ozemba launched In Common With in 2018 as a studio that operates on this shared ethos, integrating traditional modes of making with modern, scalable production. Since their founding, Felicia has led the development and manufacturing of the brand’s modular lighting and homeware collections, building frameworks that allow handcraft and experimentation to live in concert with precision and scale. Her focus extends beyond design to the complex, collaborative systems that make it possible to create objects with this synthesis of creative rigor and adaptability. In 2024, she expanded this vision with the opening of Quarters, a concept store and gathering space in New York where her commitment to process translates into products that are as meticulously engineered as they are unexpected and alive. Between both these brands, Felicia continues to expand the definition of design entrepreneurship, grounding it in structure and systems design while leaving room for curiosity, collaboration, and change.

We seek to reclaim the term materialism — not as a symbol of empty consumerism, but as a meaningful practice: shaping our future through form and matter. For most of our history, life adapted to the material world around us. That changed the moment we discovered tools, technology and architecture. Human history can be read as a story told through materials — each breakthrough marking a new chapter in our evolution: the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the Silicon Age. In this spirit, we invite you on an odyssey, as seen through the works of BIG.

In an industry where every project is unique and failure can be costly, how can glass studios build businesses that are both creative and scalable?

In Thinking Vertical, Matthew Day Perez explores Shiny Sparkle Studio's pursuit of vertical integration as a strategy for increasing efficiency, reducing waste, and creating long-term sustainability. Drawing on the philosophy of "more Ford, less Ferrari," Perez will discuss practical approaches to standardizing production where possible without sacrificing creativity.

The session examines how integrating fabrication, education, material sales, and community can strengthen a studio's resilience. Perez will share how Shiny Sparkle Studio uses its educational programs to absorb excess material, cultivate emerging artists and designers, and transform waste into opportunity, creating a more sustainable and economically viable ecosystem.

Joe Cariati and Austin Fields bring two distinct philosophies of glassmaking to the field. Since 2007, Cariati established his presence in the design world before evolving into a direct-to-consumer and interior design-focused business. His practice is defined by precision, restraint and execution. Austin Fields approaches glass from the opposite direction. Her work is fluid, intuitive and sculptural, expanding into immersive wall installations that transform architectural space through light, reflection and form. Together, their practices explore the dynamic tension between structure and spontaneity, revealing how seemingly opposing philosophies can coexist in their studio.

For over 20 years, R & Company has championed collectible design, advancing the contemporary marketplace and actively growing a global collector base and clientele. Its founders, Zesty Meyers and Evan Snyderman, are widely recognized for identifying rising talent, deepening scholarship about collectible design, and developing new avenues for growth in the industry. Their gallery continues to serve as a critical platform for experiencing twentieth and twenty-first-century objects and for discovering innovative, rare, and significant design.

Join Matthew Day Perez of Shiny Sparkle Studio, Adam Holtzinger and Susan Špiranović of KEEP, and Felicia Hung of In Common With for a discussion on the relationship between fabricators and designers when creating contemporary works and design. Moderated by Adrian Madlener, contributor to Dezeen, Wallpaper and Luxe.