The longest distance to the coastline anywhere in Denmark is 32 miles, and the small Scandinavian country boasts a coastline of almost 5600 miles. Needless to say, these facts have always marked the people, trade, culture and history of the small seafaring kingdom.

Fascinated by the omnipresence and universal beauty of the sea as well as the aesthetic and symbolic qualities of ships, four artists set out to capture the very Scandinavian essence of the above in a series of art works in 2016. Combining two materials and drawing on inspiration from, particularly, the Viking era, the Glasskibe project was launched.

Nanna Backhaus and Andrew Brown create the glass hulls of the ships; first blown, since split in two and then meticulously Battuto cut. Mette Bentzen and Lasse Kristensen create the wooden keels for the individual hulls and join the glass and the wood. Each keel is designed and decorated to create a perfect symbiosis with the individual hull, making each ship a unique and soulful piece. The two design processes happen without mutual interference in a trustful work relationship where it is agreed that the magic will happen somewhere in the process. None of the artists ever has a complete say over a ship.

Not unlike the original Viking ships, the Glasskibe have sailed far (with a completely peaceful impact, though), and can be acquired through prestigious galleries in Denmark, the United Kingdom and the United States.