Alissa Volchkova

Franco-Russian Alissa graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2016. Her work is experimental, driven by the material, not by the final aesthetics of an object.


Alissa's POMPEI series is a statement about materiality in our world that is becoming more and more digitalised. In this era, where perfection reigns, the digital supasses the material reality, and the prevalence of human touch has dwindled. In response, Volchkova’s series explores the magical possibilities of glass.


Inspired by Roman glassblowing techniques, Volchkova’s series takes its name from glass vessels found in Pompeii. Fiery elements transform glass into a malleable state, whereby it begins to respond to human breath. Volchkova pushes the technique to its limit, exploring the material potential of the glass itself. Her vessels question traditional notions of beauty, generally associated with symmetry and delicacy, by presenting a family of exaggerated, enlarged and irregular glass vessels.


“I explore and revisit different processes in a poetic way, pushing their limits and challenging the perceptions we might have of them...resulting in unpredictable objects”
- Alissa Volchkova