- Venue
- National Glass Centre
- Location
- North East England
Imagine what sound looks like, or how it might feel to be roused from slumber by an orchestra in the sky. These are the projects of two inspirational artist- speakers at Exploring the Fusion of Arts and Technique, the Contemporary Glass Society’s annual conference. An event designed to push boundaries.
When Victoria Scholes,Chair of CGS asks, “are art and technique perfect partners or heading for divorce?” in her opening speech, I’m expecting trouble. Like a hand blown glass bubble, the society has a solid, yet fragile exterior; embracing all those who are passionate about glass making and at the same time championing world-class excellence in glass art. On the first morning of the two-day event, the initial two speakers (taken together) neatly summarised the potentially divergent strands that comprise the conference theme.
First there was the keynote speaker, Markkus Salo, a product of the Scandinavian factory tradition with a degree in Industrial Art and Design from the University of Helsinki. Salo works as a designer at the 200 year old Nuutajärvi Glass Works in Finland, where he also has a studio. Steeped in the industry of glass manufacture, Salo is a master of the material, from the 12m long Tuulipussi (Wind Sock), 1994, in his signature style of glass blown into wire, to the 170m Keltainen riehuu (Yellow Struggles), 2001, which uses the páte de verre technique on a scale never before realised. His absorbing talk did not shy from the idea that working solely in glass could be a constraint, although he constantly tests the medium. For example, with Action Stories, 2007, Salo makes a sculptural glass tribute to Pollock’s action paintings, yet the medium dictates that his own ‘actions’ are slower, less free. Salo experiments with wood, metal and fabric, but always as an adjunct to glass. He clarifies what I feel is fundamental to his practice when he says, “glass can be made to look like many different materials”: he is an experimenter and an innovator, wedded to his love of glass.
Geoff Mann on the other hand, has no such fidelities. A Scottish artist, designer and lecturer at Edinburgh College of Art, Mann “works beyond the constraints of material and process”, exploring the space between objects in the world. Like Salo, Mann pushes boundaries, but in contrast, Mann employs the use of glass only if it relates to a narrative. Past projects have involved plotting the trajectory of a bird in flight (the stunningly beautiful Flight Takeoff and Flight Landing) and then manifesting this in translucent, three-dimensional form, enabling us to see fully for the first time something that we can only glimpse a fragment of in reality. His latest mixed-media project, Cross-fire, imagines what sound looks like as it carries a tense conversation across a dining table, distorting glassware, cutlery and crockery in its wake. Mann rebels against making: using the phrase “co-craft”, he sometimes disengages from the development process altogether, stating that he likes the idea of first seeing his work at the exhibition opening. Yet he is formally trained and, fascinated by technological innovations, he often uses them as the seeds for new works (Shine is a recent testament to his combination of sculpting skill and technological knowledge). The strength in Mann’s work lies in a post-modern approach that goes beyond material and pushes the boundaries of what we see and know an object to be.
Over the course of the two days there were a range of speakers, a series of (literally) cutting edge glass demonstrations courtesy of the excellent facilities at the National Glass Centre, Sunderland and two vocationally focused seminars (“Architectural Glass Q&A” with Cate Watkinson, Bridget Jones, Laura Johnston and Rachel Welford) and “Presenting your work to Galleries” with Jessamy Kelly). I must also mention an entertaining PechaKucha event, peppered with a range of glass skills. Highlights included Jessamy Kelly who has achieved the seemingly impossible through fusing the expansive quality of hot glass with the reductive quality of ceramics, Deborah Timperley’s thought provoking Enclosure (black glass and 23.5 carat gold) and Crispian Heath’s beautiful land inspired glass fragments.
Luke Jerram’s closing speech was inspiring. Originally intending to study engineering but segueing into art, he has the carefree air of a back yard inventor and the entrepreneurial drive of Richard Branson. Applying creativity to anything, Jerram’s works have ranged from Miracle Toaster, which pops up your morning slice with an image of the Virgin Mary, to plans for a waterfall that you can activate by mobile phone (whilst donating to a water charity). Of course he has also worked with glass (see the Glass Microbiology series) as a designer, not a maker. A self-confessed control freak, he likes to get hands on with his projects yet some have grown so successful that he now takes a directorial role, employing others to manage them (Play Me I’m Yours and Sky Orchestra). Provoking many questions from aspiring glass-makers, he was an engaging choice with which to end the conference.
When I later asked Virginia Scholes where the CGS aims to position itself she replied, “We are about encouraging excellence, and we try and stimulate debate about what is ‘good’, whilst at the same time recognising that ‘good’ is different for the many disciplines within glass. We are looking for a critical mass of people enjoying, talking about and making glass at all levels – this helps to create a healthy glass community and raises the highest levels of what we can achieve and expect.” Scholes talked at the start of perfect partners or divorce and I feel that the society is something of a marriage counsellor. In the closed bubble that is the world of glass: art and technique do co-exist, with the CGS acting as a dynamic catalyst, encouraging growth and expansion.
