Join The Glass Virus to discuss glass education

The Glass Virus is hosting its seventh think tank conference in Amsterdam in September 2023 and invites artists, designers, educators, makers and thinkers to join the discussion about glass art education.

This year’s theme is ‘On the Hybrid’ and the gathering will mark the tenth anniversary of the organisation.

The Glass Virus is a European platform that was founded to stimulate discussion about the future of education in glass art. It strives for a new interpretation of glass in art and design.

The think tanks are organised every two years and are aimed at exchanges between all academic glass art programmes, but are open to participants from all disciplines, artists, designers and other stakeholders. The ambition is to create an international platform focused on expanding strategies in glass art education.

Hosted by the Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam, this will be the first in-person gathering since the pandemic. It takes place on 22 and 23 September 2023.

The keynote lecture on the first day will be by Belgian writer, critic, curator and coordinator of fine arts at PXL/MAD Hogeschool Hasselt, Luk Lambrecht, who will consider how the arts can no longer claim the privilege of the artistic means employed, no matter how technical and artisanal they may be and/or are presented. Today, all artistic means are ‘at the service’ of what and about what an artist wants to ‘speak’. This has become a broad and colourful spectrum, as demonstrated by the countless exhibitions that incorporate the hybrid as a self-evident DNA. This presentation will be the basis of subsequent discussion among the participants.

On the second day, Anna Mlasowsky will invite attendees to be part of an intervention that charges physical and philosophical perception and brings the artist’s view into the discussion on the hybrid. She is a German-born artist who lives and works between Seattle and Stockholm, where she is Professor for glass and ceramics at Konstfack University.

The think tanks provide an open forum addressing current cultural, social and political topics in relation to art practice(s) and offers young artists, researchers and curators a space to explore their ideas and research.

Students are encouraged to join the think tank conversations and can participate for free.

To register, email theglassvirus@gmail.com before 5 September 2023 stating how many people you want to register and when you are planning to arrive and leave (there may be an extension to the itinerary). The registration fee is €50 per person. Students do not need to pay but must register via email. Payments can be made to The Glass Virus: IBAN: NL19 INGB 0675 0692 38 or BIC/SWIFT: INGBNL2A

Further information on the itinerary will be provided after registration.

For more information visit the website: www.theglassvirus.com