Prepared by: D. Jovanović
Quite recently, Tirana got QELQ Glass Hub – a space dedicated to innovative initiatives for the development of glass art and crafts. “Qelq” means glass in Albanian and the few artists that this space gathers are the only carriers of glass crafts in Albania. Three glass factories, opened after World War II (in Tirana, Kavajë and Korca), stopped working in 1992.
QELQ is in the very centre of the city, on the third floor of the reconstructed Pyramid of Tirana, a former museum and congress centre, and now an ICT and design hub. Its founder is Joana Dhiamandi, PhD in architecture and the daughter of the famous Albanian painter and stained glass artist Vasil Dhiamandi. Every Saturday, she leads a workshop on making glass decorations, usually jewellery and home decor. The workshop participants, from children and pensioners to business people, are attracted by Joana’s original collections (of earrings, decorative items, sets and brooches) displayed in QELQ and presented on its website, but also by the atmosphere of the Pyramid filled with the ambitions of many young people eager to learn and make something interesting.
QELQ Glass Hub focuses on providing a space for events, gatherings, sales, and stained glass workshops. While it doesn’t yet have its own glassworking equipment, fusion and stained glass tools are available at Dhiamandi Studio, just a short walk away. QELQ is also working on collaborations with local artists to develop a shared infrastructure, making it easier to access specialized tools and create a more sustainable glassworking community.
– Joana Dhiamandi
Joana learned glassworking techniques in her father’s studio (Dhiamandi Studio), developing also a strong awareness of the importance of local tradition for contemporary artistic expression. One of the QELQ’s first initiatives was the Heritage on Glass: Crafting Glass & Unwrapping Heritage collection, commissioned by the Ministry of Culture, and made up of small glass objects imbued with elements of the cultural heritage of Albania.
She is equally inspired by nature. Almost all of her original glass collections stem from the beauty she sees in natural phenomena – the Alta Blue collection is inspired by the Ionian Sea, Valë Deti is about the movement and light of sea waves… Owing her artistic inspiration to nature, Joana pays a lot of attention to environmental projects. The pieces from her Vjosa collection are made from glass waste extracted from the Vjosa River, and the Shape Your Bottle workshop, which she runs regularly, promotes circular artistic practices. Starting from discarded glass bottles, the participants of this workshop apply slumping and fusing techniques to create new decorative objects. When quality works appear, QELQ organises an exhibition.
Right now, I’m working on a personal exhibition called Broken Pieces of Blue, featuring 11 pieces made using fusion glass combined with metal structures. The works range in size from 1.5 to 2 meters, with irregular shapes that emphasize the theme of fragility. The concept explores how broken pieces can be reassembled into something meaningful, turning them into a manifesto for art. This is the first piece of the collection.
– Joana Dhiamandi
QELQ provides all artists with information on socially responsible processors of glass waste, from whom they can source material for new works. This is just one of its roles in creating and strengthening a national network of glass artists. QELQ is also becoming their meeting place, a place for conversation and mutual sharing of resources for work. Organizing workshops, vocational training, work demonstrations and exhibitions, it creates an environment where artists can turn their ideas into micro-businesses.
QELQ‘s website already supports online sales of art glass. Customers around the world can easily get Joana’s earrings, brooches, unique plates, as well as the latest pieces inspired by the popular Albanian sweet – caramel Zana. Joana’s design is functional and gives abstract and organic forms, accompanied by a short story of inspiration and personal signature. Working daily to revitalize glassmaking as an artistic craft, she hopes that QELQ will soon be able to offer the works of other local glass artists as well. There are very few of them in Albania, less than ten.
QELQ Glass Hub has already sold works by other artists. One example is Yvett Bonz, a Hungarian artist specializing in stained glass. She had a solo exhibition at QELQ in September 2025 as part of Albania’s International Cultural Weeks, an event organized in collaboration with foreign embassies and the Ministry of Economy, Culture, and Innovation. During her stay, she also sold some of her pieces. Additionally, QELQ is part of Lab of Tomorrow, a program that brings together a consortium of artists to create artworks and products for the HORECA sector. This initiative aims to tackle the issue of glass waste by developing sustainable solutions specifically for hotels, restaurants, and cafés. Moving forward, we plan to feature more artists, especially those working with recycled and sustainable glass.
– Joana Dhiamandi
Because the glass artists in Albania were so far unconnected, and without knowledge about the modern practices of circular work with glass (processing of glass waste and melting of recycled glass), Joana dedicated the QELQ Glass Hub to them. She designed it as the hub of a new Albanian ecosystem of glass art – one that interweaves local tradition, innovation and processes of environmental protection. Creating such an organisation is not an easy task, but Joana already sees what is most needed for it.
The biggest challenge is balancing sustainability with production costs. Educating people about the value of recycled glass and creating a market for it in Albania takes time. To keep QELQ growing, we need strong collaborations, the right equipment, and a solid base of customers who appreciate and support sustainable design.
– Joana Dhiamandi
Illustrations: courtesy of Qelq Glass Hub
Reference
- Joana Diamandi (2025). Glass Art and Design in Albania. Creative Glass Forum Beograd: Biblioteka grada Beograde
- Presentation by Joana Dhiamandi at the Creative Glass Forum, December 2024 in the Belgrade City Library
- Creative Glass Serbia. (2025). Interview with Joana Dhiamandi. Creative Glass Serbia (e-mail correspondence)
- Website QELQ Glass Hub: https://qelq.al/
- MVRDV. (online). The Pyramid of Tirana. MVRDV. https://www.mvrdv.com/projects/312/the-pyramid-of-tirana