One full day at Swansea University of Wales Trinity Saint David site, Alexandra Road, Friday 11th March, 20 years after I had left it all behind. I had been a student in the well established and famous 'Glass Department', at the very edge of a time presented as 'the middle years' ( see photos below).
I was privileged of a last chance to meet Tim Lewis as a teacher in 1995-1996.
With many visitors for a very special Friday for a glass conference as well as the Glass Beacon Opening, the Alex Design Exchange got me convinced 'the shining years' have for sure started.
I had not forgotten the Mumbles too. I have chosen on my arrival day to go for a walk along the beach all sadly reminded of C21st plastic pollution of oceans and seas.
Among the great speakers of the conference, were Rodney Bender and Dr Tyra Oseng-Rees who both presented their research on glass studio waste or glass bottles recycling, the application to art or industry.
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| Rodney Bender the artwork_ a volcano |
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| Dr Tyra Oseng-Rees Research |
Back to my own fine art work via the visit of this site where all creative ambitions had landed 20 years ago, I am on that Friday all ready for the Marga & Collections window to be the second landing for achievements I wish to celebrate. M&Cs is a turning point in my career or life?
Why did I title it M&Cs?
- Marga is the environment artist with the continuous journey from fine arts to Arts & Crafts, to a monastic life. ( her cousin also a stained glass artist, also named Margaret, got the short name Tor. My Margaret got the short name of Marga)
- The word Collections stands for Science/Darwin's fossils or collections, Museums/Culture of collective memories.
For the time of the conference, I held in mind the ideas I wished not to neglect for my M&Cs:
- The Earth as our planet = a survival ahead
- One Market/One World
- C21st spiritual challenges
- New vital scientific studies of Nature or Humanities.
Marga and her fellow artists of the Arts & Crafts movement also called for Nature no longer to be forgotten by a vast human ambition of 'progress' applied to the world.
Marga's Baptestry Window at the Shrewsbury Cathedral was the very first window I viewed of her work the year I moved to Shrewsbury.
I loved beyond measure the rhythm of it all, the circular pattern of the water flow, the heat of red flames with dragons all ready to demonstrate their power their eyes on us, the feast of the earth elements or animal world ( the Running Stag ), a vibrant unity all celebrating life with and on Earth for a memorial window.
In 2016, a loud survival clock ticks each single day, like a countdown and a warning.
The symbol I chose following the invitation by Swansea School of Glass to a modest contribution to the Glass Beacon Project, is a symbol I had drawn in the late 90s. A symbol for Action & Unity.
The Glass Beacon project included in the design the symbols sent by past students.
I had sent this symbol as my glass conceptual/spiritual journey, the eyes of a journey through light , mysteries, pain, joy, time all holding itself as one call.
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| one eye has been chosen, on blue glass, in the middle window lower section, first row, 6th piece from left |
What I sent as my symbol
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| part of their cartoon for the three sections above |
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| all in the tower! |
I will use the technology as a research for applying new skills to the design for Marga & Collections as a contemporary glass artwork.
Dr Shelley Doolan talked about her use of water jet cutting for her art as "a synthesis of ancient and modern processes to explore themes and concepts through the medium of glass".
M&Cs, as an artwork, is a synthesis of ancient and modern in Nature, via Science, for Memories. Glass is the most adequate material to present this Synthesis because of its multiplicity of uses through human history, its intrinsic presence in the environment, its non-stop 'modernity' for past, contemporary and future cultures.
The speakers Martin Crampin and Alun Adams were also reminding us on this Friday, how stained glass windows are pieces of our history or culture to the same level as paintings on canvases or sculptures wherever the windows are.
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| Alun Adams |
To close the day, Dr Nicola Gordon Bowe gave us the privilege of a talk live by Skype on a large screen before us all. She could not travel due to illness. Her passionate talk about Wilhemina Geddes stained glass art with a dynamic tempo of a sharp "next!"...."next!"..."next!"...."next!" after each image, stamped my brain like the logo of unquestionable 'joy with' or 'love for' stained glass art beyond all circumstances: mental or physical illness, wars, poverty, solitude and many more...
So, I travelled back home all shaken, recharged or infused, eye lashes nearly turning to brushes, my brain all recovering of the travelling through time, a circular journey from Swansea to Swansea via Shrewsbury back to Shrewsbury!
Advised by sleeping tight with it all, I woke up all accomplished this Saturday with all conceptual/spiritual choices made for the M&Cs artwork!
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