ORIENTATE Symposium: Online booking now opening

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Great news! Tickets for our Oct/Nov events are on sale now. We have a fantastic line up of international presenters for the Orientate Symposium in Cork including our keynote speaker Francesca Giubilei from GLASSTRESS (IT). There are also places available on our workshops in Cork and Dublin! Angela Thwaites will be leading a Glass Casting workshop in the National College of Art and Design (Dublin) and Cappy Thompson will teach a Glass Painting workshop at the National Sculpture Factory (Cork).

Buy Tickets HERE

GSoI Nov Events 2013

So we have had a very busy year so far at GSoI but its not over yet! In Nov we will be having  a series of exciting events in both Dublin and Cork - workshops, an exhibition and a conference with a fantastic line up of speakers...

 Here's a little taster so you can be sure to put us in your dairy!

Shanghai in Cork

Yanyan Wong and Shihui Zhang are exchange students from the Shanghai University of Fine Art. They spent three months in spring practicing glass, ceramic and textiles at C.I.T Crawford College of Art and Design, Cork. After six weeks of dedicated work, the girls showcased some pieces in the recently renovated foyer area of the college. 

Everybody at the college was delighted to see an influx of new and interesting material, and also such a great volume of work after six weeks. The girls were so friendly and enthusiastic; they really made their mark on the students. Not only was their lunchtime showcase pleasing to the eye, there was a wonderful social element between the girls, the students and our tutor, Debbie Dawson. It was a pleasure to be present at what may be the first of many glass showcases in the college. The new Applied Art course is starting up next September, our little glass community in the college will hopefully blossom.

Yan’s work uses glass, ceramic and textile.  Her practice is about flowers floating on the River Lee. She discovered the idea when she was rowing on the River Lee on her first Saturday in Cork. A beautiful permutation occurred in this work where Yan was able to merge the primary materials of glass, ceramic and textiles. Combining these materials brings about a new understanding of these elements; weight, density, texture. The transparency and two dimensional qualities of the glass give way to the more solid and three dimensional qualities of the ceramic. A beginning; Yan certainly seems to be creating something exciting here. She is intuitive, a quality that I have heard students speaking of at the Shanghai Academy. However, this natural intuition is always accompanied by careful consideration of the process.      

Focusing on material properties, Yan has used hard and soft material together. She describes this piece as “a contradictory work”. It’s a delicate type of contradiction. The glass is etched and then, like a patchwork quilt she has very affectionately worked the fibers around each panel. This work is one that is much more poignant when seen in the flesh. Gorgeous meditative oranges and subtle hints from other palettes flow. The river is truly present here. The piece is a river itself and each panel is presented as moment from its surface. It is a mix between a traditional Chinese scroll, a patchwork quilt, and a stained glass panel. We can see a beautiful synthesis of antiquity, complemented by a subtle sense of inventiveness. 

Shihuis’ work is about shape. She states “The most simple shape of the world is round, square and triangle”. She uses the plane of shape and the plane of material to make three-dimensional effects. Her work, in contrast to Yan’s, is more design based. The very careful execution of this simple concept makes for an interesting consideration of form. One associates the work with the inner workings of the cosmos; shapes construct other shapes, which in turn construct other shapes and so on. This approach plays on micro and macro imagery. Exploring how we all exist in this world in a physical alliance. It speaks of symbiosis; it is organic yet can also place itself in the realms of something practical and mathematical. Shihui had worked on many ways of conveying this sense of shape. It is simplicity she admires the most. This has provided an excellent platform from which to continue her endeavors. I am excited to see her progression with the work once she has settled back in Shanghai.

The quality and quantity of the work after just six weeks was something that took our students by surprise. We have all heard of the Chinese work ethic, however the girls seemed to have this and also some another magic behind them. Their dedication to all materials under investigation is to their credit. They dealt with each element appropriately and appeared to have no discomfort in showcasing their works or experimenting. They are proud and genuinely interested in both the material and conceptual relationships between the maker, material and the other life that the work emanates after it is has been granted freedom in the artistic realm. The girls visit was something of an inspiration, they displayed a mystical sense of wonderment about them. They carry themselves with an honest, polite grace that can be seen through their work. It is this honesty and pursuit of the self that has certainly rubbed off on myself and a notable few that have been to Shanghai on exchange, but also those who shared our glass-workshop with them. I feel as though I have visited their culture, I have yet to discover in what way. 

Written by Róisín Foley, C.I.T CCAD Glass, R.E.P Glass Society of Ireland

NCAD end of show: Student Profiles

The final installment from NCAD's glass degree show 2013 and last but definitely not least Michelle Mc Dermott:

Michelle has a great interest in visual world around her, being particularly drawn to nature and organic forms. Her research takes her to many parks and gardens where she gathers this visual information, ready for manipulation in the studio. She says that ‘from a good image many ideas can flow’. Her interest in photography enables the production of these inspiring images.

The forms presented in the degree were a series of decorative panels developed from this study of organic objects. They have used multiple firing techniques and often encompass layers that give the flat panels a sense of dept. The shape used for the panels is a simple but effective leaf motif which provides a connection between their surface decoration and the form.

The result is a wall that looks like a magical plant climbing its way up to the light. The drawings are sensitive and the use of colour is minimal. The delicately of this approach creates an atmosphere which invites quite reflection.

I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of the Glass Society of Ireland to wish the new graduates all the best in future and we look forward to hearing about all your up and coming exhibitions – stay in touch!

written by Fiona Byrne

NCAD end of year show: Student Profiles

As promised talented graduate number two – Meadhbh McIlgorm

Meadhbh has recently been awarded the CCOI Future Makers Student Award and one of her pieces was selected for the RDS Craft Exhibition. Watch this space!

Meadhbh’s work is an installation made up of numerous ‘intangible’ objects. The delicate pieces are suspended within the space creating a refraction of light and casting thin shadows. These light and dark elements are as much a part of the work as the glass itself – they are the finishing touches.

In her own words Meadhbh is ‘attempting to capture both the tangible and intangible essence of cloud formations’. The beginning of this exploration was research into the manipulation of light. The changeable nature of light and the challenges involved in capturing some of its magic has been approached here with skill and consideration. The result is a piece of work which captures the fragility of glass. The wispy shapes look as if they would crumble if touched (although Meadhbh told me they were tougher than they looked!).

I asked a little about the process of making this work and Meadhbh explained how the forms are heated in a kiln, letting gravity act of the glass allowing an element of random formation. This seems an apt approach to the chaotic but beautiful objects which this process creates.

The pieces will be displayed in Sculpture in Context in September so if you missed this show stopper at the degree show you have been granted a second chance!

Written by Fiona Byrne

Glass Society of Ireland - Mission Statement

The Glass Society of Ireland is made up of people whose interests or professions significantly relate to the specific material of glass.  Drawing from diverse creative and enterprising fields including art, design, craft, research, collecting and the historical context, we are a volunteer-run organisation whose interest in glass provides us with a mutual cause for conversation.

 It is the primary objective of the Glass Society of Ireland to continue to support established practitioners in Glass whilst fostering new talent. We also aim to create opportunities to communicate with each other and to engage with new audiences. This is achieved through a number of platforms: exhibition-making, holding events such as conferences, workshops and public talks, networking through social media and information distribution through our website, blog and monthly e-bulletin. Through these activities, professional connections are established both nationally and internationally.