The V&A Project: A History in the Making
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Pâte de verre, blown glass & cast glass.
2018.
For our first project here at the RCA we were asked to select an object from the V&A Ceramics and Glass collections and make a piece or series of pieces in ceramics or glass that translates our original object into a contemporary context.
I selected a blown glass trembleuse cup and saucer, made in Venice, in 1860, using a non-homogenous mix of coloured glass known as chalcedony - mimicking the gem stone of the same name. This style of cup and saucer is characterised by a recess in the saucer, which accommodates and stabilises the cup. In response, I have produced a collection of interchangeable sculptural glass components informed by the interconnectivity of the trembleuse cup and saucer, with a specific focus on how the two parts fit together. Venetian glass makers were famous for using glass to imitate other materials. I have channelled this idea through an experimental and inquisitive application of colour within a variety of glass processes, taking inspiration from architectural forms and surfaces.
This was an opportunity for risk-taking and practical investigation that extends our material understanding, intellectual engagement and technical skills.
Photo credit: Joshua Kerley