Glasstress- White Light/ White Heat

Glasstress- White Light/White Heat

The exhibition uses glass to explore the boundaries of fashion and fine art. The work arises from collaborations between renowned artists such as Tracey Emin, Cornelia Parker and designers Stuart Haygarth and Pieke Bergman alongside Murano glass-making traditions. The full body of work was showcased at the 55^th Venice Biennale, and highlights were later displayed across two London venues; London College of Fashion and The Wallace Collection.

Adriano Berengo wrote in the catalogue accompanying the exhibition, “I like to think that Glasstress has created for each artist the ideal conditions for limitless experimentation, open to failure, to second guessing and to the  elation of new discoveries.” (Glasstress, pg 12)

Whilst there was less work exhibited in London than anticipated, there were some very thought provoking work that varied in scale and included plinth based, installation and performance based work. Some artists featured : Meekyoung Shin (recently featured in Crafts with her exquisite Soap vessels), Loris Cecchini, Mona Hatoum, Stuart Haygarth, Kiki van Eijk, Tomas Libertiny’s  Honeycomb vase.

Combining the vision and ideas of the artists with the expertise of the Murano glassblowers has led to some sensitively handled work that engages the viewer, encourages interaction, stimulates and intrigue its audience. The full website can be found at www.glasstress.org and  below are a few highlights.

If nothing else, take a look at Javier Perez’s cast feet in pillow (very subtle, see below),  the Recycle Group’s Breathe which shows a glass face under water and breathing (see above!) and the interactive lampwork dress by Helen Storey. They certainly gave pause for thought!