COLLECT London 2014

Kari Hakonsen - blown, cut and polished glass

Earlier this month London’s Satchi Gallery was once again home to ‘The International Art Fair for Contemporary Objects’, better known to everyone as ‘Collect’. A weekend trip across the pond to London is a bit of an extravagance for most at this busy time of year but since I’m now living a short(ish) train journey away I thought I’d share some of this year’s glassy highlights with you.

One of the very first exhibits featured Scandinavian glass work, including this beautiful transparent blown glass by Kari Hakonsen. Glass is never the most represented material at craft shows like this but what it lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality (then again maybe we’re just biased). 

Steffan Damn

Some familiar names from the UK and elsewhere pop up every year at collect: Danish artist Steffen Dam and his impossibly realistic hot sculpted jellyfish jars still fascinate me even more now I know how many stages and intricate processes creating them requires. Katherine Coleman, one of the best known glass engravers in the UK had some of her beautiful, optical vases on display and across the room another big name on in UK glass, Burno Romanelli showed some super precise and expertly polished kiln work.
  

Katharine Coleman - wheel-engraved crystal

Bruno Romanelli - Kilncast and polished glass

Unfortunately there wasn’t much in the way of an Irish glass representation this year. To the best of my knowledge we can only claim Dubliner Edmond Bryne, who is now based in the UK, as the sole Irish glass participant. Edmond, represented by the FLOW gallery, displayed a number of his signature textured mould-blown forms.  Inside the catalogue cover was Scott Benefield’s familiar canework advertising the Scottish Gallery but the actual work was not on display. 

Edmond Byrne 

Scott Benefield occupying the first page of the catalogue

Pia Raeymaekers 

Chantal Delporte 

'The Flanders Gallery' featured some interesting work from Belgian glass artists Pia Raeymaekers and Chantal Delporte. I thought Chantal’s work was particular interesting; she seems to be using pate-de-verre and lost-wax casting to create very detailed, natural looking forms. On some of them the frit seems to blend into the solid cast glass, creating an impressive mix of texture on the one sculpture. I would love to know how she does it.

Niyoko Ikuta - cut and laminated sheet glass 

One of my favourite pieces was from Japanese glass artist Niyoko Ikuta. Made of cut and laminated sheet glass, it caught the light beautifully and provided an interesting view from all angles. 

Niyoko Ikuta  (front view)

Some exhibits at 'The Gallery' at London Glassblowing 

The vast majority of the glassworks on show were shown in special exhibit from The National Glass Centre and ‘The Gallery’ at London Glassblowing. There were far more delightful objects on show than I could even photograph. As always there were some fantastic examples of contemporary jewellery in a huge variety of materials, ceramics ranging from the sculptural to the functional, metalwork, finely crafted wood, textiles and so much more. I really recommend a visit next year for inspiration and visual delights abound and with any luck maybe there’ll be a few more familiar pieces from our friends and members too! 

Louis Thompson - DNA Markers: Thermodynamics hot

London Glassblowing's exhibition space 

Written by Meadhbh McIlgorm
GSoI Media Officer