Emma Bourke is a glass artist from County Mayo whose work merges traditional craftsmanship, cultural heritage and scientific inquiry. Working primarily in lampworked borosilicate glass, her practice explores the role of botanical knowledge in shaping community, healing and identity. Through a research-led approach, she examines how plant-based knowledge has been preserved, shared and adapted across generations.
Her work draws on ethnobotanical research into the historic and contemporary uses of medicinal plants. Across a range of collections, Bourke creates intricate glass representations of botanical forms that reflect the transmission of ecological knowledge. Projects such as Ethnobotany, Biophilia, Symbiotic and Mithridate explore themes of healing, folklore and interdependence through sculptural glass objects and jewellery. Her ongoing project Apiculture continues this line of inquiry, focusing on bees, native flora and seasonal cycles. In this series, delicate glass flowers are arranged in honeycomb structures beneath cloches, referencing the relationships between pollinators, plant life and ecological balance. Together, her works form a growing archive that reflects Ireland’s long relationship with plants, people and place. Alongside her studio practice, she teaches within her community, sharing glassmaking skills and supporting the development of others in the field.
Bourke’s interdisciplinary practice increasingly incorporates kiln-formed techniques such as casting and fusing alongside lampworking. She applied for a Golden Fleece Award to invest in specialist glass-working equipment to support this development. The addition of a glass linisher would enable the production of more complex sculptural works while improving technical precision, material efficiency and sustainability within her studio practice.
