When Srouji first started collaborating with the Twams, they were mostly producing beakers for chemistry labs and bongs for the Israeli market – but she recalls being captivated by their skill. She began to make more experimental, contemporary designs using 3D software, which she would share with the Twam family. The combination has proved very successful, with pieces exhibited all over the world. Srouji has fostered a relationship based on mutual trust that has allowed them to find a shared language. The latest collection of homeware, released in July 2023, is made in clear glass. There’s a tactile dotted plate, and a tilted cake stand – a favourite of Srouji’s – both playful yet sophisticated. Priced from 30 to 300 USD, the homeware collection also represents something affordable that can be used on a daily basis. To reduce production costs, she simplified the designs and opted for clear glass, which is substantially less costly than coloured. ‘They’re still artworks, just more accessible,’ she says. ‘Creating a small bowl for olives or a glass for wine is just as important to me. It’s also a way of addressing my anxiety about the industry being too expensive and inaccessible. I want everyone to have a plate from Palestine.’
From building up from the ground as an architect, Srouji’s practice now looks into the ground, looking for stories in buried artefacts that might be retold as new objects, a film or an installation, evolving according to a feeling. ‘I don’t necessarily identify craft as making in a traditional sense,’ she explains. ‘I think there’s a skill in making an object and in planning a building – but I like to blur those boundaries.’ Her projects to date usually begin with a long period of research and exploration.‘The process of making is very emotional. There’s a big conversation about tangible and intangible heritage, and how they’re not so different – as you’re weaving, you’re meditating, you’re thinking with your internal voice. It’s the same with making glass,’ she says. ‘The process is so much about storytelling, it’s a reflection of what the craftsperson is thinking about. The hands are an extension of the subconscious.’