Output details
34 - Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory
De Montfort University
Hot Glass - New Work from the Furnace: an exhibition by the CAA (which specialises in Contemporary craft and design) who co-selected the work of twenty seven international practitioners of which Thwaites was the sole exhibitor of mould blown glass.
Across 2012 and 2013, Thwaites was invited to participate in three major events:
Glass Skills initiative, Contemporary Glass Society (CGS), 2012-13
Glass Games - Ruskin Glass Centre, Stourbridge, 2012
New Glass Ancient Skill - in conjunction with Lakeland Arts Trust, Blackwell House, Cumbria 2013
These exhibitions showcased high quality contemporary glass made using a range of specialist techniques selected by the CGS in conjunction with leading authorities including Reino Leifkes, curator of Glass at The Victoria and Albert Museum. The inclusion of Thwaites's work in these three major events evidences her reputation as a highly skilled and renowned practitioner in the field of glass.
The work produced for these exhibitions synthesised together and fed into a wider exploration of metaphors and stories which Thwaites developed (using glass and other materials and a variety of approaches to practice) for the Hot Glass exhibition
The CAA (which specialises in Contemporary craft and design) co-selected the work of twenty seven international practitioners of which Thwaites was the sole exhibitor of mould blown glass. The methodology for these new works combine Thwaites's knowledge and background in sculpture gained through her study and experience in Czechoslovakia, with hot glass techniques realised through collaboration with a master glass blower. The Schwitters inspired outcomes derive from the collaging together of pieces of everyday building material with parts of moulds Thwaites originally created for lost wax casting. Hot glass has been blown directly into these spontaneous constructions to generate a series of entirely new forms.
The audience for these exhibitions was broad ranging, from local visitors from the Stourbridge area connected historically with the glass industry to London collectors and international academics.
