A new exhibition in London rather boldly
links glassblowing to the ‘formation of the universe’, linking their
shared naissance in ‘light and heat, the components of fire’.
Marta Klonowska, The Fish, 2013
It’s
this light and heat (and The Velvet Underground) that has leant the
exhibition its sub-heading, White Light/ White Heat – a presentation of
works in glass by a number of well-know designers and artists
collectively curated under the title Glasstress.
Hussein Chalayan Frozen Monologue, 2013 Glass
The
show is split between two London gallery spaces, the Fashion Space
Gallery at London College of Fashion and the nearby Wallace Collection;
and isa continuation of the Glasstress series, previously shown at the
Venice Art Biennale in 2009 and 2011.
Shih Chieh Huang, Seductive Evolution of Animated Illumination, 2013
The
only brief given to the designers and artists, co-curator James Putnam
tells us, is that the work must use glass in one way or another.
Thomas Schu¨tte, Geister, 2011
As
such, the work on show is lively and diverse, moving way beyond what
we’d expect of the medium, which is often dismissed in the unforgiving
art world as rather erring on the side of ‘tweeness’ and craft.
Stuart Haygarth, Glass House, 2013
Most
opted to design their piece and leave the fabrication to a professional
glass practitioner, though a few of those taking part chose to blow the
glass themselves.
Shirazeh Houshiary, Flicker, 2013
Adraino
Berengo, director of Berengo Studio Murano and Glasstress co-curator,
says, ‘By allowing artists to come into contact with this known but
seldom used material (in aesthetic terms), I like to think Glasstress
has created for each artist the idea conditions for limitless
experimentation, open to failure, to second guessing, and to the elation
of new discoveries’.
Whitney McVeigh, Solitude a breath away, 2013
He
adds, ‘No one has simply expected to use glass as an interchangeable
material with commonly used ones; each, in the end, has found a way to
assimilate glass into his own poetic theme, expressing it concretely in
the final work’.
Mona Hatoum, KAPANCIK, 2012
Glasstress: White Light/ White Heat runs until 23 February at Fashion
Space Gallery, London College of Fashion, 20 John Princes Street W1G
and The Wallace Collection, Hertford House, Manchester Square, London,
W1U
Jason Martin, Chimera (Azul), 2013
