Our Dokola studio is open

In April 2024, Dokola opened its very own studio in West Footscray, inviting close friends, colleagues, and supporters to a night of demonstrations and celebration. Over the next year, we plan to welcome you into the space through a series of open studios, archive sales, public classes, and events. If you haven't yet, please sign up for our mailing list and follow us on social media to stay updated on these opportunities.

The journey leading up to the opening was a long one. Years of planning and brainstorming different business models shaped the vision for Dokola. Primarily a glassblowing business that, until then, had been operating by renting various private studios—like Gordon Studio Glassblowers in Redhill and Hothaus Glass in Heidelberg—or using publicly funded spaces such as JamFactory and Canberra Glassworks, I had to consider how big a transition I wanted to make:

• Continue renting hot glass production space while setting up a studio for finishing processes?
• Open a stockroom with a public-facing point of sale?
• Opt for a live/work studio in an industrial zone to allow for a more central location?
• Invest in a full glassblowing studio and run my entire practice independently?

Each option had its hurdles, especially the costs of public-facing leases, fit-outs, and production downtime. I started researching how other local businesses, like ceramics studios, handled similar transitions. I noticed that some leased central, public-facing spaces close to public transport, allowing them to run regular classes and a store while also maintaining production. The difference for a glassblowing studio, however, is the furnace—it's the heart of the operation. While its operating temperature of 1280°C is similar to some ceramic kilns, a glassblowing furnace runs constantly, transitioning a material body from one to another, in our case synthesizing silica sand into molten glass. This necessity for operation meant we required an industrially zoned space.

After a year of searching for the right space while constantly reworking business models, an artist friend gave me a lead on a location. Fundere Studios in West Footscray, a former foundry that still operates in Sunshine, had been a hub for many artists over the decades. The space was particularly suitable for those working with industrial processes, where large equipment and high utility demands were a factor. For us, the high amperage draw (not voltage) needed for the glassblowing equipment made it a perfect fit.

With that, I decided it was feasible to set up a complete glassblowing studio. Over my 13-year career, I had taken detailed technical notes from various studios I’d worked in—from Germany and Denmark to the Czech Republic, the U.S., and Australia. I’d always dreamed of building a purpose-built studio that seemlessly catered to my process, instead of it being rendered clunky by a patchwork of second-hand equipment. Another priority was to make the studio as carbon-neutral as possible, which meant opting for electric-powered equipment wherever feasible.

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