“Ghoti”

This glass dish is titled Ghoti—a playful, thought-provoking name that reflects both the beauty of the object and a deeper exploration of language and identity. The word “ghoti” is a famously creative alternative spelling of the word “fish,” constructed using peculiarities of English pronunciation: “gh” as in “enough,” “o” as in “women,” and “ti” as in “nation.” As someone for whom English is not a first language, I’ve always been fascinated—and at times challenged—by the strange, inconsistent nature of English spelling. This dish, like its name, plays with expectation and invites curiosity.

Crafted entirely in glass, Ghoti shimmers with a marine-inspired palette. The deep aquatic blue evokes the calm, mysterious depths of the sea. At the center, a beautiful alchemy unfolds: embedded copper and copper oxide react during the firing process, creating organic, unpredictable textures and color shifts—mimicking bubbles, coral, or glimmering fish scales caught in motion. This chemical reaction represents the transformation that happens when elements meet under pressure and heat, much like the way cultures, languages, and identities evolve through experience.

The shape of the dish, fluid and open, invites contemplation. It is both functional and symbolic—holding not just objects, but meaning. Ghoti is a reflection of how beauty often arises through complexity, contradiction, and playfulness. It celebrates the oddities of language, the wonders of glass, and the unexpected harmony found when different elements—whether linguistic or material—come together to form something entirely unique.