Solange Knowles Decanters 001: Art, Glass Design, and the Ritual of Pouring
- Apr 19
- 3 min read
There’s something interesting about taking a simple object and asking it to do more. Not by making it more flashy, but rather in how it feels to use. That’s what Solange Knowles' Decanters 001 is getting at.
At the end of the day, these are glass decanters. You pour liquid into them. You pour it out. That part hasn’t changed. But the way they sit on a table, the way light hits them, the way the liquid moves inside, that’s where things shift.
These are not just about holding liquid. Most decanters are about function, you use them for wine, maybe for water, and that’s it. Here, the object feels like it’s doing something back.
The glass bends light in different ways depending on its shape. Some are thicker, some are taller, some feel more open. So when light passes through, it changes. And that changes how the liquid looks too. A glass of water in one of these won’t look the same at noon as it does in the evening.
It sounds small, but when you actually notice it, it slows you down for a second.
The process wasn’t neat or perfect. Knowles worked with glassblower Jason McDonald to make these. And glass isn’t easy to control. You’re dealing with heat, timing, and a material that can shift fast.
The plan at the start was simple, just a few designs, but that didn’t last. They kept making small versions, testing things out, and each one came out a little different. Instead of forcing them all to match, they kept those differences.
So now the collection has a lot more variation than expected. And honestly, that’s probably what makes it work.
Light does a lot of the work, since these pieces really depend on heavily on it. Without it, they’re just glass forms. With it, they change all the time.
You’ll see reflections, shadows, little color shifts depending on what’s around. Even the same decanter looks different throughout the day. That’s not by accident. They were made for that.
And you don’t have to think too hard about it. You just notice it when it happens.
Pouring becomes the moment. Using them feels a bit different too. Pouring water or wine isn’t just a quick action anymore. You actually see the liquid move, hear it hit the glass, watch how it settles.
It makes the act feel slower. Maybe even a bit intentional.
Knowles talks about everyday actions, like eating or drinking, and paying more attention to them. Where things come from. How they get to you. This fits into that idea. It’s still just pouring a drink, but it doesn’t feel as automatic.
They’re meant to stick around. These aren’t objects you use for a season and forget. The idea is that they stay. You keep them, pass them on, let them pick up meaning over time.
That might sound like a lot for a decanter. And sure, not everyone is going to treat it that way. But the option is there, and that changes how you look at it, even a little.
One of the more honest and organic parts of this project is that it didn’t follow the original plan. The forms changed. The scale changed. Some ideas just didn’t work the way they thought they would.
But instead of scrapping everything, they adjusted. And those adjustments led to better results.
So what you get in the end isn’t a perfect set of matching objects. It’s a group of pieces that feel related, but still individual, and that’s kind of the point.
Designed by: Solange Knowles
Production: Jason McDonald
Photographer: Chelsie Craig
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