BAIBA SOMA

This work is a reconnection to my Latvian heritage, shining a light on the traditional craft of straw sculptures/decorations.  This ancient pagan tradition, deeply rooted in our culture, is slowly fading. I vividly recall it gracing my grandparents' home, a silent guardian under which our family gathered for Christmas photos.

 

Traditionally crafted from straw, a new one was woven each year, the old one ritually burned to release negative energy. Its intricate geometry symbolises harmony, luck, and well-being for the home it adorns. Having moved away from Latvia, my appreciation for my heritage and the beauty of the craft has only deepened. This project is my ode to those roots. By reinterpreting the craft in glass and exploring new forms, I aim to
represent the fragility and delicate disappearance of something so precious and intrinsically dear to me.

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This work emerges after a long pause from creating, at least for the outside world. After four intense years of sculpture studies in design high school, followed by four more at Design Academy Eindhoven, I stepped away. The pressure I placed on myself, combined with the so-called "black hole" that follows graduation, left me overwhelmed and disconnected from my creative voice.

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In that pause, I took time to reflect. To ask myself what I truly want to express through my work. I circled different ideas, explored paths that felt distant from design, until I returned to something that felt honest. This new body of work is rooted in a deep interest in tradition, material language, and how form can convey meaning. It is work I believe in — slower, more deliberate, and closer to who I am.

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The work shown below consists of 770 glass tubes, which are interwoven together to create the final shape. This work is a light object; the playfulness of the light and reflection enhances the idea of a distant memory. 

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Self-initiated craft exploration project started in 2024

Exhibited in 2025 during DDW at the Fabriek with Crafts Council Nederland, Eindhoven, The Netherlands