Exciting new glass acquisitions for the Shipley
photo: Robin Morton
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The Shipley has recently acquired spectacular new glass pieces for the craft collection.
Alison Kinnaird's pair of engraved glass pieces, Adam and Eve have been donated by the Glass Engraving Trust. Alison uses copper wheel engraving, a technique which has remained basically unchanged for two thousand years. Wheel engraved images allow the engraver to be extremely precise and delicate, with a subtlety of modelling which is impossible with any other technique. Copper wheel engraving is especially helpful in detailing muscles and the sheen of skin. The human figure is the main subject of Alison's work. Her engravings feature male and female figures, clothed or unclothed. She has recently begun working with light and colour to add a new element to her work.
Angela Jarman's Carambola has been donated to the Shipley by the Art Fund. Angela Jarman is a glass artist who graduated from the Royal College of Art, London in 2001. It was here that she became interested in the way in which science and technology are applied to our relationship with the natural world. Jarman's work is rooted in conflict and subversion, ideas which are central to the debate surrounding our intervention in nature.
In this piece the carambola, also known as starfruit, grow on a branch and are easily identified through their distinctive form and texture. Jarman has used the demanding technique of lost wax casting to create the piece. Yet her manipulation of glass subverts our expectations of the material, making it opaque, matt and dense. The familiar becomes strange, the carambolas appear otherworldly and disturbing, fascinating the viewer.
Amy Barker, Curator of the Shipley Art Gallery says:
We are thrilled to acquire work by two such important glass makers for the Shipley's collection. Both Angela and Alison are pushing the boundaries of their technique, and producing extremely different work. The Shipley is extremely grateful for the generosity of the Art Fund and the Glass Engraving Trust in donating these works to the Gallery's collection.
Carambola and Adam and Eve will be displayed in the Shipley's Designs for Life gallery later in 2009.