​In Concert With Glass

'Embodiment' considers the idea of the Self that continues to ‘be’ despite every moment, every experience, every encounter that takes bits of the body away. In this work, the Self is removed from myself as both the maker and the model. The piece is a casting, a type of self-portrait, and a shell of myself all at once. I made a cast of my torso and then used that as a mould for my own modified pâte de verre technique to create a lacey, extremely light glass work, pushing the material to its limits for holding the form. For me, after a year of the pandemic, this piece has taken on new meanings connected to constant thoughts of the heath, fragility, and temporality of the body juxtaposed with contemplation on the strength and resilience of the Self. I like to display this piece by hanging it from one translucent strand of wire, allowing it to turn the draughts of air and enabling light to catch the unique qualities of the aventurine blue glass, changing the viewer’s perspective. The work was sponsored in-kind by Bentley Advanced Materials which supplied mould materials. (Images: Lisa Naas)