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What struck us immediately was the way her work resembles her general appearance: both are dignified, slender, and fragile. When she lifts an object of hers, she does it with so much respect and carefulness that you know, even before you take a closer look at it, that it must be very precious.

Sylvie Vandenhoucke clearly does not rush into things. In 1991, she graduated as a jewellery designer from the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts. But by then, she had lost some of her interest in the body-jewellery relationship and the jewellery circuit. Glass had captured her attention as a material. She enrolled for a five-year course in glass at the IKA in Malines, which she finished in 1998. In the meantime, she also took part in a number of workshops. She has always been fussy about where she shows her work. The list of galleries she has worked with includes Marzee Gallery (Nijmegen, 1991), Sofie Lachaert Gallery (Ghent, now established in Antwerp, 1991), Karla Koch Gallery (Amsterdam, 1998) and Elena Lee Gallery (Canada, 1998). 

Very soon, Vandenhoucke also started taking part in international fairs and competitions such as Talente '97 (München, where she received the Talentepreis), Young Glass '97 (Ebeltoft, Denmark), KunstRAI '98 (Amsterdam), and 12 Silbertriennale '98 (Hanau). And last year, as if that was not enough, she decided to take the Master's Degree course at the London Royal College of Art, a two-year course with a high international reputation and fees to match. We cannot wait to see the work she will come up with after she has graduated. One thing is certain: we will hear from her in the next few years.

For the 1999 Henry van de Velde Best Product Award, Sylvie Vandenhoucke entered a vase object in pâte de verre and silver. The vase, a very austere and restrained design, is the result of much patience and precision... the pâte de verre technique is an old and familiar one, but the jury was clearly impressed by the porous and fragile quality of this vase, which the artist - however contradictory this may seem - has 'intensified' by covering it in a gossamer-thin crocheted silver structure. This 'membrane' creates a subtle play of light in the glass. Even though Sylvie Vandenhoucke still is in her exploratory stage, her work already stands out by its delicacy and refinement.