“My father, Åsvar Tangrand, grew up in the fishing culture of Vikten. He was a fisherman himself and took home some of the glass floats used to keep fishing nets on the surface. He used these to create art, such as wall decorations and windows.”
This was the beginning of what would, years later, become Glasshytta in Vikten. Anders Tangrand took over the business from his father in 2010 and speaks fondly of the work Åsvar put into Glasshytta.
“After a trip to a glassblowing workshop in Finland in 1974, he decided to start his own glassblowing studio in Vikten.”
Then, with help from one of the Finnish glassblowers he had met on the trip, the region’s first glassblowing studio was founded in 1976.
Glasshytta lies in Vikten, at the very end of Flakstadhalvøya in Lofoten. Between sharp mountains and the Arctic Ocean, Glasshytta has developed since the seventies to become an inviting studio, a café, and a place to buy unique, handmade glass. And this incredible location has a big impact on Glasshytta’s products.
“We try to reflect some of the roughness and the rawness of Lofoten’s nature. Using colours of the ocean and materials from our surroundings gives our products a unique, rough character.”
Some of Glasshytta’s products are made using a white quartz that can be found in the ancient bedrock of the nearby mountains. “We break down the quartz and roll it into hot glass,” Anders explains. “The quartz lies in the glass as a decoration and gives a very special effect. We’re not interested in making the glass as thin or smooth as possible. We’re looking to express something rawer.” This expression can be seen in the sea green colour and use of bubbles and textures in Glasshytta’s products.
The techniques practised by Anders, as taught to him by Åsvar, are ancient glassblowing techniques practised across the world.
“The craft stems from ancient Egypt and Syria, but the principles remain the same. We melt the glass at 1200°C in a crucible. Then, decorations and colours are added to one of the first glass spheres. Once cooled, you add more hot glass, so the decorations and colours lie between several layers of glass. Then you blow the glass into different shapes, using a range of different methods. There are limitless possibilities.”
A priority for Glasshytta is to showcase these ancient practices. Visitors can view the glassblowing up close and buy the products directly from the studio. A big moment for Glasshytta was the visit by many of the European royal families in 1997.
“It was the year King Harald and Queen Sonja turned 60 years old. Many of the European royal families were on a cruise along the Norwegian coast, and they stopped by Vikten and experienced the glassblowing up close. It was a very special moment for us, we almost didn’t realise how big it was until afterwards.”
But it’s not just royalty that has come to the studio.
“We’ve always had glassblowers visit us from countries like Latvia and Slovakia. These visits always create a form of creative energy. For me, it’s one of the things I enjoy the most about Glasshytta, the meeting of different craft traditions and ways of viewing glassblowing as an artform.”
In the last two years, international tourism and visits have suffered. However, Glasshytta have survived due to Lofoten’s popularity among Norwegian tourists, and Anders is happy with where the business is heading.
“I see that there are opportunities to expand and continue developing Glasshytta as a business, especially once the world returns to normal,” Anders says.
Glasshytta wants their name to represent their unique facilities surrounded by breath-taking nature, and the high-quality products that reflect this nature; “I think that’s what people think about when they hear our name, and we’re quite happy with that.”
