Segmented Structure series

I melt coloured glass in my pot furnace, using a variety of oxides in order to achieve various tints of transparent colours. The components are blown into a series of steel moulds and have a trapped pocket or envelope of air within. When assembled the regularity and/ irregularity of these components create an internal structure within the larger form. This forms is assembled with 30 components, the piece is then carved and lathe worked as a whole. 

The finish of the sculptures captures a veiled aesthetic, where the transparencies of the colours fade and gather intensity depending on the thickness of the glass. So too, the envelope of air effects our experience of the coloured glass, creating a diaphanous structure within. 

In consideration of the material, the intention is to experience the subtle play of light through the various depths and angles of the transparent coloured glass. By using glass components to create these large sculptures a certain dynamic tension becomes evident, this material which is perceived as fragile is juxtaposed with the constructed scale. 

The forms I am working with are loosely reminiscent of enlarged organic structures whilst also influenced by minimalist architecture. On one hand derivative of the carapace or thorax of a beetle, or of the microscopic structures of diatoms, on the other, an exploration of architectural spaces and forms. With some of the works my intention is that these structures invite the viewer to contemplate distant experiences of discovery, such as a childhood experience, a moment of wonder at the complexity of the natural world. In other works, it is the interplay with forms and the dynamic interrelationships of intersecting planes that informs the design and assemblage of these large glass structures.