As a little boy, I was always over the moon when I was allowed to pick up my wonderful father, whom I loved and admired very much, from his studio in the glass workshop after work.  As soon as I walked through the door in the entrance area, I was greeted by the wonderful smells of putty, linseed oil and the burnt binding agent from the soldered sheet metal.  Then, I came to a corridor with glass panes on both sides from floor to ceiling. The light was so lovely, it was like it was shining right through me! And the coloured lights were so pretty, they were flashing in my face. There were big tables with big glass windows, and dark rooms with light tables where Yoshi sat, gave me a lovely smile and then continued to paint her glass pane. The coloured light was so pretty, shining from the light table into her face. When I wasn´t picking up my dad at the glass workshop, he was at home in his glass studio. Oh, my dear, be careful and put your shoes on, he said with a kind smile. That is where all the magic happens! New things are created, restored, cut, soldered and cemented. Glass has always been a big part of my life, but Iove only recently started to appreciate its value to me. Iove always been lucky enough to be surrounded by stained glass. In my hometown of Kevelaer, there are so many churches and chapels, its incredible! On top of that, when I was younger, all my classmates and I went to communion together. It was a lovely experience, and we had some great lessons too! My parents were really open-minded when it came to religion. So, when I was 15, I got to practise Buddhism with my dad for a long time. It was a totally different experience to the Catholic Church and it really made me think. So in my project, I thought it would be really interesting to look at how we live now and then how we might live in the future. Iove always wanted to do a glass project with my dad, but sadly it never happened. But now is the time! Im really excited to get started on my Masters thesis on stained glass! Two-thirds of it is all about getting our hands dirty with design, realisation and exhibition. One third of the theoretical part is all about analysing contexts in the design of stained glass windows. Im really excited to examine the ideologies and prejudices that are embedded in stained glass windows! I’m also looking forward to finding out how my work can ultimately create new conditions to include rather than exclude, to differentiate and ultimately to bring together. In doing so, I will be examining historical, political and also economic backgrounds.