When we posted our New York Design Week round-ups earlier this spring, there was one project we held for later because it was just. that. gorgeous. Amidst a sea of walnut, bronze, maple, and steel at Vancouver-based designer Jeff Martin Joinery‘s booth, we spied these craggy, colorful glass vessels, glinting under the lights of the Javits. Turns out, when we reached out to Martin for more information, that the process by which his Excavated Vessels are made — from the remnants of past projects — is as interesting as the way they look.

In his practice, Martin often makes credenza bases, door pulls, and other elements from pewter that’s been cast into hand-carved molds made from heated, compressed cork. Once cooled, the pewter parts are excavated, and the discarded cork pieces are later reassembled into a sort of Frankensteinian proto-mold, hollowed out with an array of primitive tools, and then used as a cavity into which glass is blown. When the molds are released, Martin explains, “oxygen floods between the glass surfaces and the cork. Dramatically the cork ignites and the mold is lost. The result is an object of deeply cosmic spirit, with an appearance of earthly geographies.” For now, the pieces are available for sale through the studio, but starting this fall, they’ll also be on view at Egg Collective’s New York showroom. Stay tuned!