THE WINSTON CHURCHILL MEMORIAL TRUST OF AUSTRALIA

Report by Elizabeth Kelly

2010 Churchill Fellow

To investigate the design and manufacture of cast glass in architecture and public art — Singapore, UK, Netherlands, France, USA, Mexico and New Zealand.

I understand that the Churchill Trust may publish this Report, either in hard copy or on the internet or both, and consent to such publication

I indemnify the Churchill Trust against any loss, costs or damages it may suffer arriving out of any claim or proceedings made against the Trust in respect of or arising out of the publication of any Report submitted to the Trust and which the Trust places on a website for access over the internet.

I also warrant that my Final Report is original and does not infringe the copyright of any person, or contain anything which is, or the incorporation of which into the Final Report is, actionable for defamation, a breach of any privacy law or obligation, breach of confidence, contempt of court, passing-off or contravention of any other private right or of any law.

Signed Dated

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Introduction

Executive summary

Programme

Main Body of Report:

Singapore

London, UK

Belgium

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Regional Netherlands

Paris, France

New York, NY, USA

Corning, Upstate NY, USA

Mexico City, Mexico

New Zealand

Conclusions

Recommendations

INDEX

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I have been involved in visual art practice specialising in glass as a material discipline since 1986, first training for two years as a factory production glass blower then moving into formal art education gaining a Bachelor Visual Arts from ANU, and a Master of Visual Arts degree from the University of Sydney. I professionally lecture and mentor in glass applied to craft, design and art, and for the last eight years have engaged in a specialized practice as sole proprietor of Studio Tangerine in the ACT. The core areas of my business have been to research and develop industrial processes in the making and forming of coloured glass applied to design, architecture and art, and I specialise in glass chemistry to generate a unique palette.

As a specialist in the field I could reference very few contemporary Australian examples of direct cast and blown glass in public art, architecture and sculpture. It was professionally necessary to scrutinise best practise in other countries particularly since being immersed in extensive research in my own business for a number of years. Also the historic examples of glass vault lights and wall tiles are still in place in Europe and North American. The quest of searching for these examples underpinned the context of my international travels, and gave me a firsthand opportunity of examining where I fit in a contemporary global context.

The focus of the journey was multifarious; my sculptural patterned towers made of multiple cast glass elements were constructed to achieve an architectural scale, and were the catalyst for primarily seeking out any examples in architecture and public art worked in this manner. Secondly I was curious to see how pattern has made a revival in design and architecture as the result of development in computer aided design (now capable of embracing complexities of chaos and asymmetry). I have a cross cultural appreciation of colour and pattern in textiles and painting, and prior to the minimalist consequence of modernism in architecture and art I am interested in early 20th century Art Nouveau and Art Deco Architecture. Thirdly I sought out other specialists in the various fields of architecture, art and manufacture, each having their place of reference in my own studio practice. Finally I really wanted to see some of the original European early twentieth century examples of architectural glass components still in situ before they disappear entirely from existence.

To augment the search for glass, space and light in architecture and public art I visited a range of cultural institutions that were memorable and invaluable resources, acting as spark plugs for my professional development in visual arts. Often the larger museums and galleries could provide both historic examples and contemporary art craft and design in both materially specific and non-specific collections. The research libraries specialised in the documentation of various fields that provided technical information not available in Australia.

I am very grateful to have been afforded this opportunity by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, without which I would never have managed such a concise and succinct travel itinerary. The Fellowship has opened up some great possibilities and given me the occasion to introduce myself to a number of significant people around the globe. I connected with established professionals from the fields of visual arts, architecture, industry manufacture, colour chemistry, combustion technology and toolmaking, confirming also that travel broadens the mind and that there is no accounting for serendipity. The Fellowship also provided the extraordinary framework for reflection as the result of being removed from my comfort zone and the day-to-day obligations of normal existence.

My gratitude goes to Dr Grace Cochrane and Ms Merryn Gates who were my referees in the application process, and Ms Jane Barney and Ms Barbara McConchie who have supported and encouraged my application for research through the Churchill Fellowship right from the start of the process and indeed throughout my career. Lastly there were many significant individuals I met who were incredibly generous in hosting me, granting me time to ask the questions and providing the opportunities comprised in this life-changing experience. I have no doubt the journey is still unfolding!

INTRODUCTION

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Elizabeth Kelly, Studio Tangerine, 15/96 Hoskins St, Mitchell ACT 2911

Mob # 0405079120, ek.tangerine@gmail.com www.studiotangerine.com.au

To investigate the design and manufacture of cast glass in architecture and public art — Singapore, UK, Netherlands, France, USA, Mexico and New Zealand, 21st March to 13th May 2011

I travelled for 53 days and paced approximately 500,000 steps (by pedometer) on my quest in pursuit of cast and blown coloured glass in architecture and public art. I was particularly looking at the use of light transmission through that material, and the interrelationships informed by reflection and refraction within the context of architectural space. I sought visual understanding that only the experience of physical observation can deliver.

My journey took me through Singapore, London, Amsterdam, regional Netherlands, Belgium, Paris, New York, Corning, Mexico City, Auckland and Christchurch. The Singapore and New Zealand legs of the trip were self funded for internal travel, accommodation and living allowance, but travels to and from those countries were part of the overall travel budget provided by the Churchill Fellowship.

HIGHLIGHTS

• B Jane Cowie, Glass Art Solutions, Singapore

• Effie Halkidis glass artist and Martjin de Haan , Architect, Amsterdam, NL

• Taco Hermans, Castle Expert at Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (Cultural Heritage Agency), architect in charge of heritage listed castles, towers and glass elements, Delft, Rotterdam and regional NL

• Jeroen Mas, Glazen Huis, Lommel, Belgium

• Pompidou Centre, Paris, France

• James Carpenter of JCDA, New York, USA

• John Croucher of Gaffer Glass, Auckland

• Michael Wilson of Bundilla Glass, Christchurch, NZ

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Maintain international associations with professionals in various fields

• Continue innovation in the field

• Seek further opportunities to exchange information

IMPLEMENTATION AND DISSEMINATION

• Mentoring, training and lecturing

• Collaboration with architects and other artists

• Installation of the work into schools and public housing

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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Singapore, 21st – 24th March

B Jane Cowie Glass Art Solutions

Singapore Biennial

Marina Bay Sands, public art and architecture

London, UK , 25th – 31st March

Victoria and Albert Museum

Tate Modern

The British National Gallery

Design Museum London

The White Cube

Apple Store on Regent Street

Andrew Moor, Architectural Glass Consultant

Inner city vault lights and London pavement tiles

Netherlands and Belgium, 31st March – 7th April

Sandra de Clerk, head lecturer, Mechelen Glass Program

Jeroen Maes, Director, Lommel Glazen Huis

Tetterode studio

Effie Halkidis studio visit

Architectural tour of Amsterdam with architect Martjin de Haan

Museum tour of Rotterdam and Amsterdam

The Frozen Fountain and Moooi Design Stores

Taco Hermans guided tour of Falconnier bricks in-situ Rotterdam and Delft regions

Paris, France, 7th – 14th April

Pompidou Centre

Fondation Cartier d’art Moderne

Musée d’Art Moderne de la ville de Paris

Le Castel Béranger

PROGRAMME

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New York and Corning, USA, 14th – 28th April

Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum

James Carpenter, Principal Architect of James Carpenter Design Associates (JCDA)

Ice Falls in the Hearst Building

Museum of Art and Design

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

Guggenheim Museum

Urban Archaeology

Tina Oldknow, curator of Contemporary Glass, CMOG

Corning Museum of Glass collection

Radkow Research Library, Corning Glass Centre

Mexico City, Mexico, 28th April – 4th May

Nouvel Glass Studio, Patricia Cortés Gómez, and Alejandra Camacho

Museum of Modern Art

Soumaya Museum

National Autonomous University of Mexico, Building murals

New Zealand, 6th – 13th May

John Croucher, Gaffer Glass, Auckland

Michael Wilson and Eiko Kawaguchi, Bundilla Glass, Christchurch

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Singapore, 21st – 24th March

I spent three days in Singapore hosted by B Jane Cowie of Glass Art Solutions, who specialises in public art in glass and other materials. The city has a dynamic atmosphere reflected in its current architecture and ongoing civic growth. This city-state wants to position itself in a contemporary context as being a dynamic gateway from the West to the East, a leading destination for both business and leisure in the heart of Southeast Asia. It is in direct competition with Hong Kong in vying to be the leading position cultural hub of the region and as a result is investing heavily in its arts infrastructure and public art

Whilst I was there I saw the Singapore Biennial that was situated in many museums and galleries in the heart of the city and was themed Open House, a social commentary on Singapore’s regional identity in the context of its cultural wealth. It boasts a rich multi-cultural and ethnic blend with a unique historical perspective and offers an excellent infrastructure to visit all the major attractions, Singapore deems itself as a safe, clean and green environment.

I saw evidence of a demand for public art to complement and enrich the many new building projects such as the extensive shopping precincts that were vast extended malls, the recent business administration precinct already has a great deal of sculpture and public art but looked as if it was in a state of expansion. The Foreshore project, including Arboretum in front of the magnificent Marina Bay Sands Hotel indicates the scope of reclaimed land being built upon, and the ambitious building and landscaping projects at the forefront of an incredible array of glass skyscrapers, all requiring public art.

The scope of work B Jane Cowie is undertaking is impressive both in the scale and budgets she has dealt with, and I surmise that she has been able to achieve this level of success only by relocating outside Australia. By presenting to a larger client base I believe she has demonstrated an entrepreneurial spirit and been able to participate in Singapore development whilst it invests heavily in its arts infrastructure. The city-state provides far more opportunities to tender for public artworks whilst the country positions itself as a major player in the region.

Cowie actively promotes her business through web-based exposure and an ongoing exhibition practice.

B Jane Cowie has limited direct studio space, rather outsources a lot of the fabrication of elements and components to local industry, gets some work made in Australia, and has been dealing with Chinese manufacturers to undertake the larger glass castings not possible to produce in small studio.

The benefits from working in this manner have prompted Cowie to expand into a variety of materials and expression of ideas through exposure to a greater range of client briefs.

MAIN BODY OF REPORT

Glass Art Solutions, Ladle cast glass signage, Raffles Quay, Singapore

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London, UK, 25th – 31st March

In London I visited the Victoria and Albert Museum historic collection of glass vessels and architectural panels, an extremely comprehensive collection of antique blown wares, and painted and stained window panels that I had only seen previously in printed reproduction. The range of blown glass was particularly extensive, from the early Egyptian faïence vessels through to earliest examples of blown Phoenician and Syrian turquoise glass samples. There were Roman glass cane fused vessels, the Wald or Forest glass from medieval Europe, Venetian renaissance glass goblets to the Romers from Northern Europe and early samples of English flint and lead glass drinking vessels and the more ornate examples of Bohemian and Russian cut glass in short a primary collection of historic glass covering the last 2000 years.

As a glass maker it was an excellent opportunity to examine not only the aesthetics of the different periods of glass making but to compare the actual material qualities at close range of glass through the ages.

There was a small collection of contemporary glass from 20th and 21st century objects that were quite significant in respect to the rise of the studio glass movement. Juxtaposed with contemporary works were examples of early 20th century industrially designed and produced pressed wares in a few different colours but I saw no examples of the Falconnier blown glass bricks that were developed in France, Belgium and Holland at the same time.

The V&A had a large number of stained, painted and coloured glass leaded panels on display which demonstrated the purpose of the pictorial plane of the window and its use in education and religious indoctrination throughout the last 800 years, historically produced under the auspices of the church.

I was able to apply for a Reader’s Card for the V&A Library reading room in the hope that there were references to the architectural components, vault lights, prismatic pavement tiles that were extensively used in the city pavements as a natural light source for cellars. My quest for tracking information about the industrially produced vault lights has come about as a direct result of the reproductions I had produced for the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority renovation of the Rocks Precinct. Initially I had been given samples of the vault lights installed at the beginning of the 20th century one of which was stamped Leopolds of London. My enquiries via the Glass Notice Board (an online discussion group addressing historical glass elements) had yielded no further information about Leopolds. Unfortunately after several hours of catalogue searching I could find no references to such industrially produced glass elements in the V&A Art Library.

In my pedestrian travels around London to examine the vault lights set into the pavements I was only able to find reproduction Luxifer glass tiles on the Strand and surrounding streets. There were a couple of different patterns that are currently manufactured and the footpaths all looked in a reasonable state of newly asphalted surfaces with not too many visibly damaged tiles, an indication of civic council preparation for the then upcoming Royal Wedding and the 2012 Olympic Games to be hosted in London. There were a few examples of contemporary glass and ceramic tiled walls around the city.

I walked over the centenary bridge to the Tate Modern and spent several hours in the most visited museum of contemporary art in the world, the notable exhibition of the day being the work of Gabriel Orozco, a contemporary Mexican artist engaging in sculpture and photographic narrative.

The Design Museum London showcased the British Design Award finalists this year’s winner being a differently shaped low energy light bulb.

The British National Gallery was showing a retrospective of Bridget Riley, renowned colourist painter who has work represented in the National Gallery of Australia. In the presence of such works I can really understand the power of simultaneous contrast in colour and pattern, and was struck with a visceral response to the large canvasses.

The White Cube Gallery (Mason’s Yard) was exhibiting Bunker by Mona Hartoum, a sculpture exhibition that I found inspirational.

An example of recent architecture featuring glass is the new Apple Store on Regent Street noted for its architectural design of the internal room’s aspect of light and space. Although the staircase of large laminated 8

float glass was impressive in scale I found it to be cold and actually did not resonate as well as I expected after viewing the space on the website of JCDA London Chapter. Whilst it was teeming with customers I would not have described it as light and open, the use of fluorescent lights in ceiling and staircase only exacerbated the green colour of the glass and lacked any sense of warmth and served to give the impression of a lower than comfortable ceiling height.

I had referenced Andrew Moor’s most recent publication entitled Coloured Glass in Architecture, giving a great overview of recent contemporary glass used in architecture in many countries. Although I had communicated with him in advance of my arrival I was disappointed that I was unable to meet with him during the six days I spent in London.

The use of wall tiles in public art, Fleet Street, London

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The Netherlands and Belgium, 31st March – 7th April

I am fortunate to have a dear friend and colleague Effie Halkidis, an artist living in Holland. She took me two hours south of Amsterdam into Belgium and introduced me to the Sandra de Clerk, head lecturer and students of the IKA Glass School in Mechelin, where I delivered an artist talk to the programme.

We travelled to meet Jeroen Maes, the director of the Glazen Huis in Lommel (Flemish Centre for Contemporary Glass Art). The centre has a magnificent 30meter conical glass tower complete with internal spiral staircase as central architecture to the gallery and has a prominent position in the middle of the township. Designed by architect Philippe Samyn it is illuminated at night with thousands of LED lights.

I was given a tour of the gallery space, retail shop, education and tourism centre, hot glass workshop and of course the building. An exhibition was being set up at the time The Glass Canvas, glass as a canvas carrier through history bringing together historic examples of stained and painted images made on glass, juxtaposed with contemporary glass art addressing the curatorial brief.

Glazen Huis had a sophisticated collection of exhibition catalogues relating to past exhibitions that were kindly gifted to me. The exhibitions clearly addressed a European perspective that had access to a great range of historical works but was also inclusive of contemporary art showcasing regional, national and international artists in each instance. A statement from their promotional brochure describes the centre’s philosophy as:

“The Glass House encourages research and eagerly explores new avenues with national and international talent. The centre approaches glass from all possible perspectives: artistically functional and conceptional, craftsmanly and industrial, contemporary and historical.”

Internal view of glass tower showing exhibition space, Glazen Huiz, Lommel, Belgium 10

I visited Effie’s studio to see recent cast glass sculptures she had prepared for an exhibition in Athens, and we were able to share ideas and compare technical information. Effie’s partner Martijn de Haan is an architect sharing the studio, and was kind enough to give me a bicycle tour of inner Amsterdam pointing out significant and relevant architectural landmarks, from the ornate and still functioning art nouveau cinema to the 1920s built School of Amsterdam with its understated but sophisticated brick work and magnificent detailing.

I was introduced to Tetterode, a large studio in operation since the 1960’s covering hot glass, casting, flat and architectural glass which also provided hiring access. We visited during a crucible change of the furnace illustrating some of the universal issues faced in any hot glass studio. The scale of the operation was impressive, supported financially by the commissioned works for architectural application, and incorporated comprehensive engineering, lapidary and mould making areas, as well as a large display space.

As Rotterdam was less than an hour away from Amsterdam by train it to was possible to make a day trip there in order to visit several museums and art galleries. The hire of bicycles enabled easy transportation between institution sites that included viewing contemporary art and design whilst taking in the architectural sights en route. We viewed the Kunsthal Museumpark, the Witte de With Museum, the Nederlands Fotomuseum.

My visit to Amsterdam was completed with visits to the Stedelijk Museum, the Frozen Fountain, and Moooji Design stores showcasing current Dutch Design, which leads the field in contemporary design, from the Philips company right through to small collective teams like Droog Design.

Blown glass, Falconnier bricks, Rotterdam, Netherlands 11

Taco Hermans escorted me on an eleven hour tour through regional Netherlands with looking at blown glass Falconnier bricks still in situ in Delft, Rotterdam and surrounding country. They were installed in basements and bathrooms, and some coloured pressed bricks placed as atrium skylights and stairwells. From the identifying trade numbers and letters they appeared to be produced in Belgium as well as Leerdam, and from the only example of Falconnier bricks still installed in a domestic dwelling we could confirm that the blown bricks had been reproduced in Holland in recent times. We could deduce that the original moulds had to be still in circulation and bore the original moulded text along the side of the brick stating the designers name as well as the place of fabrication.

Pressed glass tiles in stairway, public housing building, regional Netherlands

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Paris, France, 7th – 14th April

The art in the Pompidou Centre, National Museum of Modern Art permanent collection is extensive and an absolute must see given the opportunity of visiting Paris. The collection of modern art represented art from 1905 to 1960 and the contemporary collection represented paintings, sculpture and design from 1960 to this century. Among the works from the last decade I saw an emphasis on the use of the found object, specifically the use of recycled industrially produced items of discarded packaging from everyday living consumption, which is a global contemporary trend in art. There was also an examination of contemporary technology in design practice from computer modelling and software through to new materials spearheaded by the Dutch design movement.

My Way was an impressive exhibition of contemporary glass sculpture by Jean-Michel Othoniel on display in the Pompidou Centre, a retrospective retracing his output from the last 25 years entitled. Although he collaborates with many crafts experts from different disciplines and employs a wide range of materials, the exhibition was predominantly comprised of large scaled installations utilising components of glass fabricated in Venice and India.

It was really interested to see his large cubic structure of blown amber bricks because of its uncanny comparison to my recent sculptural/architectural towers. Upon close scrutiny I was able to ascertain that the method of construction was stacking on parallel boards (unlike the silicone bonding I have used for structural integrity) therefore rendering the installation only secure in the museum environment and under constant surveillance. The effect of the structure was quite beautiful given that all the bricks were internally mirrored because of the process of manufacture, where as my own work has been made from pressed and drop cast glass.

Othoniel’s other striking works could be described as having a whimsical quality where he has used massive coloured glass beads as feet of furniture and in huge suspended strings of beads, playing with scale and colour in a manner both distinctive and refreshing.

L: Jean-Michel Othoniel’s blown and mirrored glass tower. R: Jean-Michel Othoniel’s blown glass outsize glass beads, My Way, Pompidou Centre, Paris

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The Brancusi Studio (a satellite space of the Pompidou Center) is a comprehensive preservation of the studio of Constantin Brancusi, including finished works, sketches, furniture, tools, library and record collection and presents an insight into his prolific achievements. He was an artist I have been inspired by since I commenced a career in visual arts and is represented in major collections worldwide. “Brancusi broke with the practice of modelling; he carved directly into his medium in order to reach his form” and that “It is the unity of space and light and their relationships with the medium that Brancusi’s work on his materials takes on full meaning.” Andre Avril, copyright centre Pompidou DAEP 2010

The Musée d’Art Moderne de la ville de Paris was showing a retrospective exhibition of Haute Culture: General Idea, a Canadian collective of three artists most significantly known for their paintings and installations, sculptures and photographs, videos, magazines and TV programs from 1969 to 1994. They were most notable for addressing issues such as the myth of the individual genius of the artist, and for their quirky and irreverent critique of mass consumer culture. In the 1980s the group focussed directly on AIDS as a contemporary social and health disaster, producing the famous AIDS graphic that echoed through North America and Europe.

I took the opportunity to visit the Fondation Cartier (by architect Jean Nouvel) which features one of the first ‘mur vegetal’ (or living walls) by botanist/artist Patrick Blanc.

In pursuit of more historic examples of the Falconnier bricks I visited Le Castel Béranger, a private apartment block in the Art Nouveau Style from early 20th century. The coloured blown bricks are situated in the stairwell and are one of the few remaining examples in this style that have been adequately preserved. Architect Hector Guimand had also designed another building in the neighbouring street as well as some of the more famous Metro entrances in this classic styling.

New York and Corning, USA, 14th – 28th April

My time in New York was taken up with visiting the cultural institutions, and seeking out public art and architecture.

The Cooper Hewitt, National Design Museum was exhibiting Colour Moves: Art and Fashion by Sonia Delaunay, an extensive survey of a pioneering modernist painter and designer. As an extremely significant colourist from the first half of the 20th century her prodigious palettes of colour and pattern were extremely sophisticated, and represented a magnificent body of graphic and textile designs, into fashion, paintings and design motifs.

I also visited the Guggenheim Museum, Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Art and Design, all with great collections in art and design, where my focus was on the use of glass in sculpture, architecture and the applied arts.

The most memorable person I met in New York was James Carpenter of James Carpenter Design Associates Inc. (JDCA) a company that designed such projects as the Millennium building, the Time Warner building, The Hearst Building and #7 World Trade Centre Building. Carpenter graciously took the time to discuss his work over ten years in research with the Corning Industries, related to the development of photo sensitive glasses and vitreous ceramics in building materials, and provided an explanation of Gorilla glass, a flexible material now used as the face on most mobile phones. He spoke of a range of projects in current practice involving the use of light and space with glass as the predominant material. The fixing devices for the large scaled building structures he developed in tandem with a chandlery company have become hallmarks in contemporary architecture with glass, for example enabling the transmission of natural light through the atrium of multi-storied buildings. James Carpenter’s work extends from the domestic scale through to corporate skyscrapers, and his professed philosophy for each project he undertakes is to embrace something new in terms of concept and development.

James Carpenter’s project The Ice Falls in the Hearst Building stands up as one of the most interesting contemporary examples of direct cast glass elements in architecture that I was able to find in all the countries I visited. In perfectly clear large billets and slabs the installation descends diagonally in the foyer space and has water cascading over the elements. The sound of the falls and the natural light play a large role in the tranquil effect that occurs when entering the building, and is a notable respite from the bustle of midtown New York. 14

Cast by John Lewis Glass in Oakland California a number of the large billets were cracked upon close scrutiny, when I asked Carpenter about the cracks he explained that the service tradesmen were known to stand on the tiles and rest buckets and tools on them when undertaking repairs and maintenance, regardless of being instructed to take care when servicing the water pumps.

I also sought out the public seating in Battery Park made of large and thick clear glass corrugated glass tiles with stainless steel fixings produced by John Lewis Glass (an avenue for future research) that are testaments to the potential of glass in the public sphere. The properties of compressive strength, transparency, and its readily mouldable quality mean that glass as a material has applications broader than are currently accepted in public art.

L: Battery Park seating, John Lewis. R: Greene Street pavement vault lights

There were some comprehensively paved areas such as the iron and glass vault light grids on Greene Street that were in such good condition I would guess that the glass elements were all replacements. I talked with Urban Archaeology sales staff who used to distribute direct cast coloured glass tiles for architectural applications, but they no longer stock anything like the cast tiles they had in the past.

In Corning I met with Tina Oldknow, curator of Contemporary Glass with the Corning Glass Museum who discussed with me the potential of architectural applications of cast and blown coloured glass. She has an extraordinary grasp of contemporary studio glass as long-term curator and as an editorial panel member of the annual New Glass Review that chooses from application 100 artists for inclusion and publication.

The Corning Glass Museum has very extensive collections of contemporary, historic and industrial glass including telescopes lenses to cookware, bottles and insulators. The contemporary collection represents the studio glass movement as it has evolved since a resurgence of interest in the material in USA in the 1960s. The permanent collection exhibition space takes the viewer from Egyptian coiled core vessels to Roman early blown glass vessels, beads, and represents the complete history of glass throughout the last 2500 years.

Corning Industries continues to manufacture tableware, optical fibre and mobile phone technology. Steuben Glass produces fine decorative art and the town of Corning is a fine example of glass used in architecture such as the square and oblong hollow bricks used in building for transmission of light but that

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still provide a degree of privacy. Many of the Corning Industries administration buildings are constructed with a signature style of black glass panes again providing privacy from the outside but providing the internal space with uninterrupted external view.

The Corning Glass Centre provides workshops and demonstrations in glass handling processes and actively engages its artist in residency programs throughout the year. It is a centre for conferences and, alongside the museum galleries, shops and cafes, has a huge turnover of visitors as a major glass interest destination.

I spent three days in the Radkow Research Library researching glass recipes, industrial processes, moulding technology and materials for pressed ware. I searched for vault lights, tiles, lighthouse and ships lenses, glass tiles. As always with this type of research there are both disappointments and unexpected surprises. The catalogue search reveals only as much information as has been entered, the real benefit in a library is to be able to browse through the collection of material, and the library staff were happy for me to go into the stacks in the search for additional exploration.

Hollow patterned glass bricks, Corning Museum of Glass, administration building

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Mexico City, 28th April – 4th May

In Mexico City I spent a morning at Nouvel Glass Studio meeting with Patricia Cortés Gómez, Sales and Marketing Manager and Alejandra Camacho, a member of the design department examining manufacturing capacity. The studio production team was blowing utilitarian decorative art for the market, designed in house. James Carpenter confirmed that, if I needed, Nouvel could produce good quality clear glass for high volume castings.

During our discussion I was able to ascertain that:

• I visually verify that their material had no visible colour impurity and a sparkle that indicated high quality ingredients, and was most likely a barium soda lime glass with a high refractive index

• The factory used commercially available internal casing colour bars from Freidrich and Scheibler to colour all the blown work under an optically white clear parent glass. Nouvel did not make their own colours as a matter of course, and in fact the designers would be interested in items to be produced in coloured glass if it were possible

• They had a second furnace that could be dedicated to running coloured glass if the economy of scale was sufficient to profit on any unit volume production run, but did not have the intellectual property to generate coloured glass for casting

• The studio had pressing and centrifuging capacity as well as skilled production blowers but Patricia did not seem to understand the initial prototyping time it would take to establish the process protocol, as my process differs significantly from what Nouvel glass studio usually undertakes

• Nouvel does not recycle any glass

• Most of the blown wares produced were designed and made for the North American market and I saw no evidence of architectural components fabrication

My conclusion was that even though the cost of production would be substantailly less than Australian manufacture the cost of transport (given the large distance and indirect freight route) may affect final cost to import the work. Secondly I would be giving over intellectual property if I were to give them my colour recipes for any commissioned work.

During the rest of my stay in Mexico City I spent absorbing the sights of the city and cultural institutions, such as The Museum of Modern Art to see Mexican surrealist painters headlined by Remedios Varo and other women artists of the same period including Freida Kahlo. The sculpture garden had a display of larger scaled works, and the permanent exhibition spaces exhibited works of strong cultural and identity.

L: The Soumaya Museum, Mexico City R: Colonial tiled building Zocolo precinct, Mexico City 17

I went out to the National Autonomous University of Mexico Central Library to view the massive mosaic by Juan O’Gorman, an incredible achievement in the 1960s reflecting a Mexican narrative and the Rectory mural by David Alfonso Siquerios extremely well-known for his patriotic depiction of Mexican people.

The Soumaya Museum was a magnificent contemporary building housing several floors of art and cultural artefacts. It displays collections of coins, furniture, period costumes, paintings, pre-Colombian ceramic pots and musical instruments, Spanish colonial paintings and surrealist sculptures— an extraordinary breadth of cultural representation.

In the central Zocolo, magnificent avenues and colonial districts all provided fine examples of architecture, and the history of the city over the last several hundred years was well documented and readily accessible for non-Spanish speakers. The ceramic tiled and patterned brickworks were in stark contrast to the austerity of Northern European brick patterns, culturally I would say that the use of colour (in both historic and contemporary architectural senses) reflected a regional position with strong cultural identity not so identifiable in my Singaporean experience.

New Zealand, 6th –13th May

I spent two days in Auckland to visit John Croucher, owner and chief colour chemist of Gaffer Glass, who initially taught me the colour chemistry of glass and provided a great deal of practical and pragmatic information on how to go about professional glass practice. As part of an extensive studio tour I was able to watch a gathering robot extracting glass from a furnace on a ball repetitively producing the billets of lead glass casting blanks for future lost wax investment mould kiln casters. One of the workshop hands was gathering incredibly bright red coloured glass bars intended for casing strength blowing under clear glass, a new colour in the commercial palette range.

A most significant and important issue in producing glass is to understand how to measure compatibility or the linear co-efficient of expansion between different glasses. John took me through the daily testing of any colour produced in his studio against the clear parent glass designed by Gaffer Glass and now used by a large proportion of glass studios around the world. The process is relatively simple and extremely effective in record keeping of the colour bank for future reference, and issues and concerns from their client base should the need ever occur. The point not lost on me was that most glass studios melting clear glass for use with colour bar skins do not test daily for compatibility nor do they invest in the relatively simple and inexpensive apparatus that can prove the co-efficient of expansion of any studio produced glass.

I was interested to see the development of copper red glass in the palette alongside the new bright cadmium selenium blowing colour bar, and I talked at length with John regarding occupational health and safety, in the handling of toxic materials. They have developed a new rotational mixer for glass batches that does the job in far less time than a conventional mixer thereby cutting down on the dust hazard and required power, and demonstrating ongoing innovation in handling of the raw materials and the consequent reduction of chemical hazard.

The scrubbing of chemical emissions up the flue is of great shared concern because when raw materials are being melted and converted into glass they volatilise approximately 30% of their batch weight up the flue; in the case of toxic materials being used to create coloured glasses there are issues in scrubbing the flue to collect and dispose of the captured materials, and prevent toxic emissions.

We visited Handmade, a leading Auckland art and craft gallery, to see their current display of contemporary glass, ceramics and jewellery, and indicating ongoing market interest in studio glass irrespective of the current New Zealand recession.

I have been collaborating with Michael Wilson of Bundilla Glass just outside of Christchurch for the last 16 years. He is a certified toolmaker and independent glassmaker and we have developed the design and manufacture of moulds, press and centrifuges for the generation of many designs for sculpture and industrially designed coloured glassware. I was keen to talk through some new moulds with Michael, get his opinion on what we could generate as I have a number of potential projects in the near future for architectural applications 18

in schools in the Canberra region that will require technical development for prototyping. We were able to fabricate a mould and upon initial testing have decided to change the mould material in the next stage of development.

Michael has previously produced the combustion technology for my studio furnace and glory hole and is currently investigating the recycling of industrial waste plastics as a combustion fuel rather than it becoming landfill. He is also involved in large scaled industrial combustion chambers in the harvesting of subterranean fossil fuels and has an acute understanding of complete and energy efficient combustion with a best practice of low CO and CO2 flue emissions, proven in my studio furnace flue output.

Michael’s wife Eiko Kawaguchi is a lamp worker and bead-maker who has developed her small business making glass jewellery over the last few years. I visited her new studio and saw the developments of her new designs and the metal findings Michael makes for her. Both Michael and Eiko have worked with me in my Studio Tangerine over the last several years as we continue collaboration of ideas and labour.

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The Churchill Fellowship has given me the tremendous benefit of international overview. I am able to place myself in the context of cast and blown glass applied to architecture, having seen significant historical and contemporary works in glass.

Surprisingly there was not that many examples of what I considered to fit the bill, but there was an incredible amount of information to absorb, both related and serendipitous, that all adds in to the sum of comprehensive analysis undertaken from this extensive research.

The innovation, research and development direction I have been heading in for the last 16 years has been validated. My introduction to a number of significant individuals in the countries I visited, and re-connection with previously established networks of peers and colleagues around the world, is a firm foundation on which to move my practice to the next professional level.

The Churchill Fellowship sponsored investigation has left me with a burning desire to create new work as a direct result of the inspiration gained from so much visual stimulus. Upon return to Australia I have hit the ground running and am immersed in a new body of research, and will continue to collaborate with Canberra architect Paul Barnett in the completion of two current projects and am looking forward to the generation of three more projects in the coming year specifically dealing with space and light using coloured glass.

CONCLUSION

RECOMMENDATIONS

• To maintain international associations with professionals in various fields

• Continue innovation in the field through research and development

• Seek further opportunities to exchange information with centres of excellence

• Tender for public art commission opportunities as there are many more potential applications of glass so far not seen in Australia

• Advocate for studio glass to embrace broader lines of enquiry and examination across disciplines of architecture, art and design rather than considering the material as one discipline

• Educate emerging practitioners through studio mentoring and training

• Lecture to educational institutions and professional peer organisations

• Collaborate with architects and other artists

• Placement of glass work into schools, public housing and public art

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