Glass, Wool, Silk: A Material Dialogue

At Charles Burnand Gallery, The Ground of Things brings together textile and glass in a way that feels considered rather than oppositional. Presented until 17 May 2026, during the lead up to London Craft Week, Dawn Bendick’s latest exhibition explores how materials with very different properties (hard and soft, reflective, absorbent) can sit in close conversation without one dominating the other.

Artworks by Dawn Bendick. Background: Gradated Pavers Rug, Hand woven wool and silk cut pile 2026. Foreground: Minor Tilt, 2026, Cast Dichroic Glass.

Bendick’s move into rugs reads less like a shift and more like an extension of her sculptural practice. Known for her kiln-formed glass works, she approaches wool and silk with the same attention to colour, light, and structure. Glass is precise and fixed, catching and refracting light with sharpness; textile, by contrast, holds and softens it. Wool absorbs, silk reflects gently, creating a surface that feels responsive and atmospheric, shifting subtly depending on light and viewpoint...

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Image Credits:

Lead: Left: Dawn Bendick, Rock Stack Rug, 2026. Hand woven wool & silk cut pile. Right: Major Mystic, 2026, Cast Dichroic Glass.

All further images are copyright of the artist. Photography: Graham Pearson.