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
