Six art works exploring new ways of engaging with the materiality of glass in the digital era have been commissioned as part of the ‘Glass, Meet the Future’ (GMTF) film festival 2021.
The seven artists awarded are Alison Lowry and Jayne Cherry (Northern Ireland), Flora de Bechi (Scotland), Griet Beyaert (England), Juli Bolaños-Durman (Scotland/Costa Rica), Madeline Rile Smith (USA) and Simone Fezer (Germany).
Their contributions will form part of the core GMTF schedule alongside new film entries, a publication and podcast.
Unique in approach, each project has been selected for its resonance with core human emotions and the intangible relationship with the material of glass and film.
Alison Lowry and Jayne Cherry’s work will reflect on the numerous State- and religious-run institutions that operated in Ireland between the 18th and late 20th centuries, incarcerating mothers and their children. Their collaborative, site-responsive work will be a visceral experience, using a glasswork as the investment object to provide a cognitive dissonance for the viewer.
Flora de Bechi’s work, entitled ‘Glass into the mould, light into the camera, body into space’ is rooted in research and experiences gathered whilst on residency at North Lands Creative in 2019. The film features a poetic imagining of the hollow space of the Grey Cairns of Camster as both a camera and mould. A digital artist’s book will accompany the work.
Griet Beyaert’s ‘Remote Glass Sound Workshop’ will explore the question, ‘What do you hear when you think about the future?’ This will later be realised as a short film and glass sound piece using the collaborative soundbite submissions of participants.
Juli Bolaños-Durman will explore how the visceral bond between the maker, community and material permeates the creative process, guiding it to become something raw and precious at the same time. Juli is interested to explore human curiosity and the instinctual need to play and create.
A performance-based work by Madeline Rile Smith will highlight communal acts of creation and collective action involving hot glass and textile-inspired processes. This unspoken film will document a story of social currency, communal effort, and interpersonal connection in the glass studio.
The performance work will form a narrative exploring The universal existence of structures and the interaction of human beings with them, their similarities and differences, and the connectedness of everything, will be the narrative behind a performance work of Simone Fezer. It will focus on restriction, adaptation, reflection, perspectives, and the complex layering of reality.
Speaking about the artists’ work selected for GMTF 2021, Karen Phillips, Director of North Lands Creative, said, “The festival commissions feel genuinely human, different and empathetic. It’s this fighting spirit and determination from the artists to gain back some cohesion that we can all resonate with right now.
“We are following what is happening all over the world related to Covid-19 and the impact it has on artists, the arts, the cultural landscape and to life globally. With physical mobility still on pause, in response we see proposals for solidarity arising. The six key commissions chosen have deep-reaching, hard-hitting, topical themes at the heart of their projects, and a COVID-19-adjacent element.
“Proving that out of adversity comes creativity, Glass, Meet the Future 2021, hopes to invite dialogue, prompt questions, and drive analysis and contemplation of life and the world as we know it, the artists commissions will be particularly interesting in the festival’s second year given the unique challenges and limitations faced by all.
“We are delighted that we could provide artists with the opportunity to produce new work covering a range of geographical areas, approaches and audiences.”
Supported through British Council Scotland and Creative Scotland as part of the UK in Japan and working alongside North Lands Creative, GMTF 2021 will deliver a programme of physical and online events taking place internationally throughout the year. Project partners are the Toyama Institute of Glass Art with Toyama Glass Art Museum in Japan and the Museum of Arts and Design, New York.
Alongside the new commissioned work, GMTF 2021 will showcase a cross section of international diverse short films using glass as the predominant feature.
The Glass, Meet the Future Festival 2021 takes place from 20 March-4 April 2021, and continues in Japan in October 2021.
Leading glass artist and educator, Keith Cummings, pays tribute to one of the great innovators of the contemporary glass world.
Sam Herman, one of the major pioneers of the British Studio Glass movement, sadly died on 29 November 2020. As a maker, teacher and powerful apostle of hot glass forming, his influence on the development of the British Studio glass movement has been long lasting and truly revolutionary.
As one of the original students of Harvey Littleton’s glass course at the University of Madison-Wisconsin in the early 1960’s, he experienced first-hand the development of the small furnace at Wisconsin by Harvey Littleton and Dominic Labino. This allowed art students to actively shape the glass themselves, and to use glass as a genuinely creative studio material for the first time. It also placed glass in American colleges as a Fine Art material.
There were only a few courses in glass design at British art schools at this time, all of which saw glass as part of a strict design process in which students’ designs were realised by skilled, industrially trained craftsmen.
When Sam Herman came to Britain in 1966 (after graduating with a Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture and Glass), bringing with him an exhibition of glass work by Wisconsin students, his impact during visits to Edinburgh, Stourbridge, and the Royal College of Art demonstrated both a new way of making and a new way of seeing glass as a vehicle for creative education. His personal example, and his refreshingly direct way of talking about his work, set in motion the entire first wave of British studio glass makers, including Pauline Solven, Karlin Rushbrooke, and George Elliott.
He was invited to teach at the Royal College of Art, becoming head of the glass department from 1967 to 1974, during which time he led the first group of students who were able to work hot glass from the new, Wisconsin-style furnaces.
In 1969 he helped to establish the Glasshouse in London which provided glass studios for rent, and also as an outlet for their work. His joint exhibition in 1971, with the jeweller Gerda Flöckinger in the Victoria and Albert Museum, further established his growing global reputation and signalled that studio glass in Britain had come of age.
He worked and exhibited across the world during his long, rich and productive life and career.
He was always unmistakably American in his strong, direct approach to teaching and making; he never stopped experimenting and encouraged his students to do the same. He nevertheless chose to settle in Britain, and remained a lifelong presence.
The recent book about him, edited by Rollo Campbell, with a foreward by the Marquess of Queensberry, is a fitting testament to his life and work.
By Keith Cummings
Feature image: Sam Herman, Free Blown Bottle (1971). 260mm high x 180mm wide. From Dan Klein & Alan J Poole’s collection, now at the National Museums of Scotland.
Art, craft and design exhibition organisers are finding new ways to overcome the limitations imposed by lockdowns and tier restrictions to bring art and design to buyers.
One solution is the Crafting a Difference show, taking place from 20 January until 2 April 2021, which is a physical exhibition that offers the option to view the gallery virtually from your computer.
Curated by Brian Kennedy, Crafting a Difference features five prestigious galleries showcasing over 200 works by 70 artists, displayed across five floors of SoShiro’s flagship London atelier, housed in a magnificent Marylebone townhouse.
Among those exhibiting is London’s Vessel Gallery, which is displaying work by a variety of top glass artists, including Baldwin & Guggisberg, Bethany Wood, Chris Day, Claire Malet, Enemark & Thompson, Fredrik Nielsen, James Lethbridge, Jeremy Maxwell Wintrebert, Jo Taylor, Laura Hart, Liam Reeves, Maarten Vrolijk, Morten Klitgaard, Nina Casson McGarva and Vanessa Hogge.
Also featuring glass artists are the Ting Ying gallery, with collaborative work by Vezzini & Chen, plus pieces by Zhao Jinya, as well as the MADEINBRITALY gallery, which has mixed media work including glass by Rosa Nguyen.
The event has been orchestrated to coincide with the virtual fairs The London Art Fair and Collect 2021.
The SoShiro space, at 23 Welbeck Street, London W1G 8DZ, offers a mix of gallery-style rooms but also shows works placed within a home environment.
The exhibition is not only available to view online but has been filmed for viewing, offering a virtual, interactive tour as well. The hope is that, if restrictions are relaxed, the event will be able to open its doors for ‘exclusive by appointment’ in-person visits before it closes on 2 April.
View all works for sale and full exhibition catalogue
The 2021 edition of the Crafts Council’s Collect art fair for contemporary craft and design will take place online this year.
Collect takes place from 26 February until 2 March 2021, with the Crafts Council providing a range of free digital and virtual events, talks and tours from leading gallerists, artists, and figures from art, fashion and culture on its own channels, alongside 30 top galleries from around the world showing and selling their collections from online ‘booths’ hosted by Artsy.net (until 26 March).
Collect was established in 2004 by the Crafts Council and has built a reputation as one of the world’s leading events for contemporary craft and design.
It brings together international galleries to showcase and sell work by living contemporary craft artists. Much of the work is made especially for the fair and is bought for private and public collections around the world.
Some of the leading names in contemporary glass that will be exhibiting include Joanna Bird Contemporary Collections, London Glassblowing, Vessel Gallery, Gallery TEN and J Lohmann Gallery.
The 30 galleries taking part are from the US, Thailand, France, Hong Kong, The Netherlands, South Korea, Norway, China, Germany and the UK.
Five members of the Contemporary Glass Society (CGS) were awarded prizes at China’s 5th Hejian Glass Art Competition.
Members Calum Dawes, Stewart Hearn, Ana Laura Quintana, Sogon Kim and Han De Kluijver all received a Selected Work Certification Award.
The Gold Medal award of a car went to a postgraduate student from Jilin Art College. Two Silver Medal Award trophies were won by Mark Hursty and Lozano Alexander Escamilla, with Alise Stopina taking the Bronze Medal Award. Theo Brooks won the Good Work Award for two pieces.
Silver Medal Award trophy winners were Mark Hursty (above image) and Lozano Alexander Escamilla (main feature image).Maria Koshenkova was among several entrants who won a Selected work Certification Award.
Other winners of the Selected work Certification Award were Yoshico Okada, Maria Koshenkova, Dina Priess, Charlie Murphy, Mathilde Caylou, Georgina Agius, Demetra Theofanous, Tim Jago Morris, Pauline Marmilloud, Jessamy Kelly and James Witchell.
Alise Stopina won the Bronze Medal award.
Commenting on the competition and exhibition, the Secretary of the Hejian municipal Party committee, Mr Weijiang Yin, said, “Hejian’s glass industry has gone abroad and entered the world. Its products have successively won the Gold Award of China Light Industry Exhibition, Gold Award of Hong Kong International Cultural and Creative Industry Expo, the best design award at the Beijing International Tourism Expo and the German Red Dot Award (China good Design Award).
Mr Weijiang Yin speaking at the event.
“Hejian has become the capital of China’s technological glass and the production base of China’s heat-resistant glass. The five consecutive China Hejian technological glass design innovation competitions and the four China Hejian International Lighting glass art festivals have well promoted the exchange of international lighting technology and personnel training, and let the traditional lighting technology pass down and carry forward.
“Thank you very much to CGS and congratulations to all the artists awarded.”
Today, it is possible to 3D print everything from body parts to houses. But 3D printing of glass faces challenges, not least because of the high temperatures required to keep it fluid while the shape is extruded. Glass Network digital’s editor, Linda Banks, examines the progress that has been made in glass 3D printing in recent years.
In 2015 an Israeli startup, Micron3DP, was one of the first to successfully 3D print with glass in a hot liquid form. The company stated that it had managed to “print ‘soft’ glass at a temperature of 850 degrees, as well as borosilicate glass at a melting temperature of 1640 degrees Celsius”. It used “an extremely hot extruder” for the task.
Micron3DP was able to create accurate and unusual shapes with its extrusion process, which even led to a collaboration with Swarovski to 3D print its crystal glass. Swarovski were sponsors of the 2017 Designers of the Future awards and one of the winners, TAKT Project, used Micron3DP’s printing process to create a Printed Crystal series of candleholders and vases. The pieces, which were inspired by frost crystals, had fine, gently ribbed textures and a thickness of just 1.5mm. They were shown at the Design Miami/Basel exhibition 2017. See images of the vases in this article by Dezeen.
However, by 2018, Micron3DP had decided to shift its focus away from 3D printing of glass. In an interview with 3D Printing Media Network, the company’s CTO Eran Galor noted that the main challenge was to educate the market. He likened the problem to that faced by the development of fibreoptics in the 1980s, when “nobody knew what it would be useful for because the internet had not been invented yet”. In the case of 3D glass printing, he said, “We cannot clearly pinpoint the market yet, but it could become a huge opportunity.” He explained that engineers needed to understand how to design for 3D printing, which offered the opportunity to create a huge variety of unique shapes. He cited the company’s work with the University of Helsinki in Finland, during which they collaborated on the design of a complex microfluidic tool that they were able to print in less than 10 minutes.
While Micron3DP clearly believes there is potential for its glass printing technology, particularly for applications in the pharmaceutical industry, its commercialisation has been shelved for the time being.
Meanwhile, academia was also developing its own 3D print solution for glass. Teams from the US-based Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Mediated Matter group, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Glass Lab showed off G3DP, their own additive manufacturing process for 3D printing optically transparent glass, in 2017.
This featured a high-heat extrusion printer, fitted with two heated chambers. One contained the molten glass, and a ceramic print nozzle extruded the molten soda-lime glass into the second, annealing, chamber at a temperature of around 1000 degrees C. The second chamber was maintained at around 500 degrees C, just above the annealing temperature of the glass, until the printing of the design was complete. Then the chamber was cooled gradually.
The MIT team has since continued to refine its technology, with its G3DP2 platform combining a digitally integrated three-zone thermal control system with four-axis motion control.
In order to test its capabilities, a set of 3m-tall glass columns was created and shown at Milan Design Week in 2017. In the abstract for the article, ‘Additive Manufacturing of Transparent Glass Structures’, the authors stated that the project highlighted “the geometric complexity, accuracy, strength and transparency of 3D-printed glass at an architectural scale for the first time, and a critical step in utilizing the true structural capacity of the material”. Watch the printer in action and the creation of the beautiful glass towers in the video GLASS II via this link .
On a smaller scale, Australia-based Maple Glass Printing has been experimenting in the 3D glass printing field since 2017. The company’s CEO, Darren Feenstra, and CTO, Nick Birbilis, believed there was a gap in the market for a more affordable glass printer that would have a wide range of commercial applications. They decided to retrofit a polymer 3D printer to see if it could do the job.
It took two years of work and experimentation to create the preliminary prototype. They applied for a patent and received grant funding to commercialise their 3D printer towards the end of 2020.
According to Tony Koutsonikolas, Maple Glass’ Head of R&D, two important benefits of this printer are that it is able to use 100% recycled glass and that its processes are less energy intensive. The glass is only heated for a few minutes at high temperature to soften it. This means that the printer could help in the push to create a more sustainable society, as the company’s central mission is to reduce glass waste by 3D printing it for a second life. He points out that Australia alone uses 1.3 million tonnes of glass each year.
The team has focused on experimenting with recycled bottle glass, as one of the goals is to reduce the amount of such glass being sent to landfill. The problem has been that different types of glass melt at different temperatures, which means all the types have to be sorted, and they are difficult to reuse. Existing recycling processes currently require clean glass to be mixed with the bottle glass and energy usage is high. Maple Glass see their printer as a possible solution – a tool to process this ‘waste’ mixed glass, make new products and reduce the burden on the environment.
Currently the extruded glass layer height used by the printer is 1mm, but the plan is to reduce this in due course. This would enable the production of pieces with flatter surfaces. They could also be further smoothed, polished or drilled with a diamond-tipped tool once cooled.
Objects created so far have been a maximum of 150mm in height, but the hope is that the commercial version could create items even larger and in a range of colours.
As with other 3D printing technologies, printing time varies significantly depending on the size, shape and complexity of the item. A small perfume bottle, for example, may take one and a half hours to print, Tony explains.
Subtle details can be 3D printed in glass from design software. Photo: Tony Koutsonikolas.
He suggests another application for the 3D printer is as an enabling technology, offering a way for artists to create designs digitally and iterate versions easily. The company is open to discussions about innovative ways in which the printer could be used, so if you have an idea, look at their website and get in touch.
Tony is pleased to announce that the commercial version of their 3D printer for glass will be launched this month (January 2021) and you can read more about its technical specifications and possible applications here.
Perhaps the world is now ready to embrace the potential of 3D glass printing.
Main feature image: Glass 3D printing capabilities. Photos: Tony Koutsonikolas.
Through these difficult times, our minds sometimes wander to happy days, holidays, gatherings, or just places we love to visit. As we are back in lockdown, the Contemporary Glass Society (CGS) is inviting members to use this time to create and show something wonderful that reflects future travels to places near and far, or visits to family and friends.
In this selling online exhibition, inspired by glass collector and enthusiast Alan J Poole, CGS invites members to make a small piece (or to submit one you have already), with a view or reference to somewhere that means something to you. The piece should be a maximum size of 15 x 15cm.
Your postcard should ideally be made from glass. However, we understand that for some of you access to your studio and materials may be impossible. If that is the case, please take this as a chance to create something out of any materials available to you!
All pieces of work will be for sale at £50, £100 or £150.
This will be an online show, so remember that good photographs are vital.
Deadline for submissions is Monday 8 February 2021.
This year’s winner of the CGS Amanda Moriarty Prize, Calum Dawes, says the award will enable him to extend the work he has been developing on his own during lockdown, as he has found it challenging to fit his three-stage process around busy workshop schedules.
Adelighted Calum explained, “I’m really grateful for this opportunity … Hopefully, I can produce something really exciting with the support of CGS and Devereux & Huskie. Can’t think of a better way to start 2021!”
He intends to submit the resulting new glass artwork for The Cheongju International Craft Biennal, 2021 or, if that is not feasible because of scheduling or Covid restrictions, for the British Glass Biennale in 2022.
Calum graduated from the University of Sunderland in 2019 with a BA Glass & Ceramics. In the same year, he won the Glass Sellers Art & Craft Student Award and was placed third in the Contemporary Glass Society 2019 Glass Prize.
This year, Wiltshire-based Devereux & Huskie Glassworks is providing the prize of a four-day residency in the studio. James Devereux and Katherine Huskie, both accomplished glass artists in their own right, are experienced in facilitating the creative ideas of designers and glass makers.
Reptile Daydream by Calum Dawes. Photo: Jo Howell.
In his application, Calum explained about his latest pieces: “This work is a continuing development of my love of illustration and glass as a sculptural material. The form and optical qualities of the glass interact with the illustrations in ways other materials don’t, while the imagery lends the piece narrative and context.
“It is a body of work I have been developing on my own time, but I have hit a wall, due to making them on my own and having to try to fit within the busy workshop schedule. These pieces are a three-stage process: first the bowls are blown, then they are painted with high-fire vitreous enamels, after which they are picked up in the hot shop. The painting is fired on and then each bowl is stuffed with a mass of molten glass in order to fill it. Finally, sculptural elements are added right before the piece is put away.
“Initially they were designed in this manner for me to be able to produce under current limitations and I have made several of these pieces. However, I have found I have reached a limit in size and complexity, partly due to the workshop schedule (inadequate time to anneal a thicker piece) and partly due to not having much access to assistance.
“During this residency I would hope to use Katie and James’ extensive wealth of knowledge and experience to help troubleshoot issues in the making of this work on a larger scale, as well as their practical and technical skills to improve my own making of these pieces in the future. I would like to gaff the pieces, to push myself and my glass making skills, using this opportunity to develop new skills.”
The annual Amanda Moriarty Prize is designed to enable one CGS member to achieve something unique, fulfilling their creative ambition or adding to their technical skill set. It was launched in memory of Amanda Moriarty, a long-serving Board member and Honorary Treasurer, who sadly passed away in 2017. It celebrates her passion for, and encouragement of, glass making.
Jo Mitchell has melded the materiality of glass and the immateriality of the air bubble to create art that investigates ‘humanness’ and identity. Here she explains how technology has enabled her to push the boundaries of her practice in this interview with Glass Network digital editor, Linda Banks. You have a varied background in glass. How did you get started on your journey in glass?
I studied for a bachelor’s degree in Three-Dimensional Design at Manchester Metropolitan University. It was a materials-based, multi-disciplinary course, which I loved. I got to work with wood, metal, ceramics, glass and other materials. I was captivated by the hot glass process and the immediacy and beauty of the material. Glass has had a hold on me ever since in its many forms and means of production; I’ve never exhausted my interest in it!
I specialised in hot glass and metal for my BA, graduating in 2000. I then went on to do an MA scholarship in glass design for production through Wolverhampton University and Edinburgh Crystal, and worked as a glassware designer, before leaving to set up my own studio practice making glass art.
My own practice started with blown and cold-worked glass vessels, which I sold through galleries and art fairs, alongside freelance design. Then I began to move into kiln forming. I set up a second studio business, Juo Ltd, with glass artist Jessamy Kelly, who I met during my time as a designer for Edinburgh Crystal. We worked together for six years, making contemporary fused glass panels and installations for domestic and corporate interiors. We completed projects for the NHS, among others, and our work for Newcastle Building Society won the Pearsons Prize in 2008.
Secret Diary (2015). Photo: Colin Rennie.
I started a part-time PhD at the University of Sunderland in 2009 and my personal practice was transformed when I began to explore ways of controlling air bubbles in glass using kiln-forming, digital and waterjet technologies.
How did your PhD research transform your approach to glass?
The PhD gave me the impetus and access to facilities to experiment with new technologies, such as waterjet cutting and digital stencil making, that weren’t as readily available to me in my studio. My premise for the research was that, if air entrapment could be controlled in glassblowing to a level of detail to create images (as in the Ariel technique – a Swedish method to control the shape and positioning of air bubbles in blown glass for decoration), it must be possible to make similar controlled bubble forms, as text, imagery and 3D forms, in kiln-formed glass, as well as to make the process repeatable and transferable to different types of glass formats and kilns.
The waterjet process is provided by a CNC machine that is programmed using computer-aided design (CAD) software. It cuts through glass sheets using a high pressure (30-60,000psi) jet of water mixed with abrasive, such as garnet. This kit is used regularly in the automotive industry and can pierce through glass and cut detailed shapes at a speed and precision that isn’t possible by hand.
The research was technically challenging and there were many ups and downs over the course of six years of study. It required a huge amount of perseverance and there were a lot of failures. Balancing self-employment and research was demanding, but it was during my PhD that I found my creative direction. Technically and conceptually, my work began to come together. A PhD is quite a solitary experience but, with the enthusiasm of the mechanical engineers and the technical assistance at Sunderland, I was able to push the boundaries of what was possible in controlled bubbles with new successful techniques for precision air entrapment in the kiln.
Deconstructed Being III (2020). Photo: Jo Mitchell.
The intense period of study, reflection and experimentation also gave me the focus to express myself artistically in a more meaningful and individual way than I had previously. I completed my PhD, ‘Precision Air Entrapment through Applied Digital and Kiln Technologies: a New Technique in Glass Art’, in 2015, two weeks before the birth of my first daughter. Since then I’ve been developing the many ideas I have for artworks using this technique. I also work part-time as Waterjet Technician at the University of Sunderland. I enjoy the university environment.
Can you tell us something about your innovative cast glass work that captures and controls air bubbles?
I was excited by the idea of controlling air entrapments as internal forms in glass. I’ve always been mesmerised by transparent glass’s internal dimension. The inner space of glass with air suspended in it seemed to me to have so much creative potential.
The integration of the techniques of CAD software, waterjet cutting and kiln casting and fusing techniques with the clarity and thickness of float glass opened up the possibilities for scale and depth of the artworks themselves. This allowed multiple cut-through layers and intricate 3D forms of air entrapments within solid sculptures that weren’t previously possible before access to digital technologies.
Legion (2015). Photo: Colin Rennie.
To make the pieces, multiple waterjet-cut layers are built up in between plain sheets of glass and surrounded by dams or a mould. The stack is heated carefully in the kiln to squeeze out excess air and evenly fuse the layers until the bubbles form in the cut-outs. The kiln program is dictated by the size of the air-void, the type and thickness of glass and the size of the piece. When the bubbles form, the piece is crash cooled and annealed for between days and weeks, depending on its size. Each one usually necessitates several test versions, as any change to the bubble size or type of glass requires moderations to the firing cycle.
What are the themes behind your work?
When air becomes the ‘medium’, it is much like glass: transparent; it contains space, yet it can be the form itself. It has such power to create metaphor: presence, absence, transience, emptiness, anonymity, ambiguity.
Legion Series (2015). Photo: David Lawson.
I became interested in using the human form as a suspended ‘entity’ in the interior of the glass itself, to explore these metaphorical connections to the human condition. So the theme is existential: the air figure became a symbol for the immaterial ‘self’ – the space which contains our identities as individuals and the perception of ourselves within the collective.
Corpus (2015). Photo: David Lawson.
Playing with the heat of the kiln to alter the characteristics of the air figure allowed me to explore what remains when the human identifiers are diminished or removed, both physically, in the piece, and metaphorically. I’m interested in the paradox of emotional connection and detachment that we can have for others in society. Connectedness and isolation are themes that I return to.
Host II (detail) (2014). Photo: Colin Rennie.
How do you use technology in your glass practice?
Technology for me isn’t the specific aim in itself. I like to learn or adapt technologies – new or old – that assist me to reach where I want to be creatively, or to develop avenues for new work that might have been difficult, or unachievable, before. Advances in technology add to the creative’s toolkit!
What are your thoughts on water jet technology?
Freedom and frustration! It is another tool which can produce amazing results. However precision technology can also be temperamental and, like any technique in glassmaking, it requires a level of understanding of the process. For me, it opened up avenues for making artworks that were previously impossible. Having access to ‘play’ with new technologies – merging creative, industrial and scientific know-how – creates the space for innovation.
Tide (2018). Photo: David Lawson.
What is your favourite creation and why?
My latest piece is usually my favourite because it is taking the work to the next step.
Who or what inspires you?
I don’t think there is a particular person or thing that inspires me as such, but inspiration usually comes when I have headspace – in that meditative place: quiet time in my studio, driving, listening to music, or even in the ‘zone’ of cold-working! I also get inspired listening to people talk with passion about what they do, whatever it is. Being around creativity and hearing people speak at glass conferences, like those of the CGS or the Biennale, always brings back that creative buzz.
What are your career highlights?
I think travelling and meeting like-minded people though my work has been a highlight. I’ve been fortunate to visit and exhibit in America several times. Most recently I went to Pittsburgh Glass Centre, where my work was part of a fantastic exhibition of glass art and technology, and met some inspiring artists who are pushing the boundaries of innovation in glass.
I’ve taken part in a UK design exchange with French designers in St. Etienne, as well as visiting Poland and the Czech Republic with Edinburgh Crystal to source production facilities. A definite highlight was going to Pilchuck during my PhD with support from Sunderland University’s Futures Fund and working as technical assistant to Keke Cribbs. I met Dale Chihuly there and watched his team work.
Also, having my work bought for the permanent collections of the National Glass Centre, Shanghai Museum of Glass and Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung Foundation, and purchased by collectors, is wonderful.
How has COVID-19 impacted your practice?
When the first lockdown hit, I’d just returned from the opening of the exhibition of glass and technology in Pittsburgh, USA. The exhibition was open for a week before Pittsburgh was locked down. It was a shame because six months of hard work had gone into making new pieces for the show. Although it had an online presence, it was disappointing. But at least we had the opening.
During lockdown, I wasn’t able to work in my studio as I was at home looking after my daughter. Finding time and headspace to be creative during lockdown was practically impossible and I didn’t make any new work. I was fortunate that, for the two days per week that I work for the University/NGC, I was furloughed, making the situation easier for me than I’m sure it has been for a lot of artists.
People have commented to me that the air entrapment figures resonate with the isolation of current times and that new perspective is interesting. I think new work will come out of this period eventually.
An unexpected outcome of my research has been connecting with academics outside of the arts who are interested in my methods of precision air bubble control in glass. I’m collaborating with Volcanology researchers in the Earth Sciences Department at Durham University to investigate how bubbles develop in volcanic magma in comparison to glass – an exciting departure!
Jo Mitchell at work in her studio. Photo: Erica Vannucci.
Main feature image: Deconstructed Being II (2019). Photo: David Lawson.
About the Artist Dr Jo Mitchell studied at Manchester Metropolitan University before completing an MA Scholarship as a designer to Edinburgh Crystal in 2001. She set up her artistic practice in 2003. Jo undertook a PhD at the University of Sunderland, where she developed an innovative method of controlling air in glass artworks. The research had a transforming influence on her work and took her love of the material’s transparency, form and balance towards a highly sculptural sensibility. She has exhibited internationally, and her work is in the collections of the Shanghai Museum of Glass, National Glass Centre, UK, and the Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung Foundation, Germany. She sells her work through exhibitions or direct from her studio. Find out more via her website: www.jomitchellglass.com
On 22 January 2021, the second season of the international glassblowing competition ‘Blown Away’ launches on Netflix. Ten glassblowers have been selected to take part, each of whom must face a variety of challenges and the verdicts of the judges, as they are eliminated from the contest one by one, over the course of the show.
The series is filmed in Canada and offers the winner a prize package worth $60,000, including a residency at the Corning Museum of Glass in New York, and the title ‘Best in Glass’. The series is presented by American tv host Nick Uhas, with chief judge Katherine Gray, a Canadian glass artist and professor of art at California State University, San Bernardino. Alongside them, different guest judges take part in each episode.
The judges (left to right) Katherine Gray, Alexander Rosenberg (guest judge) and Nick Uhas, discuss the blown glass sculptures in Episode 1. Photo: David Leyes.
While most of those taking part in season two are based in the US and Canada, one is from Australia and the other is Britain’s Elliot Walker, who is famous for his highly detailed and technically difficult cut fruit still life series, among a standout body of work.
Asked about why he had applied to take part, Elliot says, “To be perfectly honest, my application to Blown Away Season 2 came very late in the day. I had been reluctant to apply at all, knowing how challenging the experience must have been for the contestants. Plus, I had also just moved into a new studio and was eagerly awaiting the delivery of my first glass melting furnace – a tricky business to organise as it was coming from Vienna.
“It was mostly the well-meaning pressure from my studio assistant and partner, Bethany Wood, which finally tipped the balance, and I got my application in just in time. It was quite a lengthy form to complete, which, in the end, I quite enjoyed. I also had to make a short video introducing myself, which I did just after work, when I was covered in the grime and ash of the day – Very authentic!”
Elliot admits he was surprised to be selected, because he thought he “might have been a little too honest” during his selection interview. Then, he says, the fear set in. He had not watched the first series closely before applying, but he went online and watched each episode with new eyes, trying to think about what he would have done if he had faced those situations. Knowing that the second series would contain very different challenges made him feel daunted and excited in equal measure.
He also had to finalise the furnace delivery, which was scheduled for a few days after he had left the country for the filming.
All of the artists had to commit to a possible seven weeks of filming. This meant up to seven weeks away from home, family, partners and work. However, Elliot says that getting to know the other contestants and watching them work made the entire trip worthwhile: “It showed me again how welcoming and inspiring the global fraternity of furnace glass workers is.”
Of course, we cannot report how many weeks Elliot was in the contest, as that would spoil the competition. Make a note to watch the first episode of Season 2 on Netflix on 22 January. In the meantime, you can also catch up with the first series online here (Netflix subscription required).
Main image: The 10 glassblowing contestants prepare to do battle in the first episode of Blown Away Season 2. Photo: David Leyes.
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Stourbridge College 1965?
