Llanelli town centre glass canopy

Rather overdue sharing this news with you, but I'm really excited to bring you these wonderful photos by Dan Staveley of my largest commission to date. This canopy in Llanelli town centre was unveiled last month, as part of its multi-million pound regeneration programme. The canopy structure had been designed as part of the town centre facelift, and I was commissioned to create the glass. 

Drawing inspiration from the incredible industrial heritage of Llanelli, I decided to explore using industrial materials to laminate in glass, rather than my usual dyed silks, cottons and linens. Carbon fibre threads alongside copper and steel meshes were chosen, and they had the added benefit of being colour stable for this outdoor usage. I undertook a lot of research into the tinplate manufacturing process - Llanelli was once the worlds largest producer of tinplate, and so there were a huge number of people once employed in this industry. And it wasn't just men working on the hard production lines either as I had assumed, and so for this commission I wanted to honour the memory of all the women working in the tinplate industry. As the shape of the canopy reminded me greatly of quilting patterns, there was a pleasing juxtaposition between the more expected feminine pastime of quilting and the work women were doing in the tinplate factories.

And so each pane of glass was treated as if an individual pattern piece in a quilt. The gradating blues were achieved with an adhesive vinyl. The copper and steel meshes were folded in reference to the significant 'doubling' process in the tinplate manufacture. This creates a fantastic moire effect so the work has an extra dynamism as you shift your angle of gaze. There are also wonderful shadows cast on sunny days.

As always, I am hugely grateful to the brilliant Innovative Glass Products for helping me realise this commission. To say that this was a challenging job would be an understatement, but they made sure that my vision became a reality.

The canopy structure was made by Broxap who were an absolute pleasure to work with throughout.

The seating underneath the canopy was also a special commission, undertaken by Dallas Pierce Quintero.

And the public art manager was Emma Price, and the build contractors were Alun Griffiths.

Enjoy the pictures...................

The Beaney, Canterbury

The Beaney windows

And so after being awarded one of the Museumaker commissions in 2010, the resulting triptych windows for The Beaney House of Art and Knowledge are finally unveiled.

The windows were commissioned by The Beaney in Canterbury as part of the Museumaker programme which was supported by Arts Council England, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, and the Renaissance programme. Whilst most of the Museumaker commissions were temporary site specific works, I was invited to make something permanent to be integrated into the building as part of its extensive refurbishment and new extension. Having seen my ‘Resonate’ work whereby seemingly loose threads are encapsulated in acrylic resin to make wall panels and sculptures, I was encouraged to think about scaling up this principle for a triptych window. Practical needs meant that I also had to translate the aesthetic from cast resin into laminated glass.  

The selected design sees a transition from deep dark reds densely packed at the bottom of the window, gradating into scarlet then finally very openly spaced orange threads at the top of the panes. A combination of cotton, silk and linen threads of varying thicknesses and twists were used so that the interaction of light varies with the fibres, and to so give a greater sense of visual tactility. The unspun silk filament in particular seems to positively glow, whilst the slubbed linen gives a sense of weight and density.

I was delighted to work with Innovative Glass Products to realise this project where I was able to be very hands on in the workshop, literally ensuring each thread was positioned as I wanted. The largest pane in the triptych measures 210x90cm, and remains the largest work of the ilk I have made to date. 

The Beaney reopened to great fanfare on the 5^th September. The windows mark the juncture between the old building and the new extension, and so can be viewed from either side in different contexts – the cafe/shop is on the old building side, and the information and reception desk is on the new building side. I am particularly delighted that the colour palette of the windows has been used as a basis throughout the building – from the staff uniforms to the upholstery on the library seats.

Love the red light highlighting the desk to echo the windows

Staff uniform colour has been choosen to pick up on the orange threads in the windows

Information desk in the new extension

From the cafe side of the window in the old building

 

Gratuitous baby picture :-)

Cynon Valley Hospital commission

Above are pictures of a recently completed commission for a series of nine panels that grace a corridor of the newly opened Cynon Valley Hospital in Mountain Ash, South Wales. Vivid cotton, silk and linen threads which gradate in colour over the nine panels, have been laminated in toughened, low iron glass. Each panel measured 85x85cm. With huge thanks (as always) to Innovative Glass Products who I worked with to make the panels.

Museumaker commission for The Beaney, Canterbury

During December + January, I was busily completing my Museumaker commission for The Beaney Art Gallery and Museum in Canterbury.  After a couple of shifts in focus from my original proposal, it was decided that I would create some 'Loose Threads' windows: an interpretation of my acrylic sculptures into laminated glass. The windows are just over 2 metres in height, and the widest centre panel is 86cm. Huge thanks to Rodney at Innovative Glass Products for his brilliant help in making the windows.

The Museum is currently closed for redevelopment, due to reopen to great fanfare in the summer of 2012. The windows have now been put in storage and are due to be installed in the Autumn, so for the time being I can just share with you these photos of the windows being made.

The Beaney Museum and Art Gallery, Canterbury



The new extension designed by John Miller and Sidell Gibson Architects



The window, marking the juncture between the old and the new building

The selected design in gradating reds to orange

One of the finished panels in the Innovative Glass Products workshop

Detail of the cotton, linen and silk threads laminated in toughened low iron glass

Detail of the cotton, linen and silk threads laminated in toughened low iron glass

Two of the panels side by side in the Innovative Glass Products workshop

The centre panel and lunette