ArtisVere / Stained Glass and Mosaic Art / Art vitrail et mosaïque

Introduction

Ce projet est la première grande série conceptuelle de Sabina et vous pouvez voir dans cette présentation [PDF] un aperçu du projet.

Démarche artistique

Extrait de la page Science and Nature du site web de la BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) :

INGRÉDIENTS POUR LA VIE :

1. Eau liquide;
2. Composantes chimiques tel que le carbone, oxygène, hydrogène et azote;
3. Une source d'énergie [telle la lumière ultraviolette qui a une longueur d'onde plus petite que la lumière visible].

Dans un coin du système solaire, la vie abonde. Des lacs glacés de l'Antarctique jusqu'aux sources bouillantes du fond de l'océan Pacifique, la planète Terre est inondée de vie. Mais ces localisations diverses partagent un terrain commun. Elles contiennent tous les ingrédients nécessaires à la création de la vie.

Arrested in four boxes are samples of hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and carbon. Each substance is represented with glass beads at a molecular level and according to its particular chemical characteristics. The boxes allow a view inside through an opening in front as light penetrates through a top slit. A second part of the project represents water in its molecular structure, as well as its bonds and fluidity. Made in a technique closer to traditional Tiffany stained glass, it must be lit from behind to be fully appreciated. And finally, three glass­on­ wood mosaics capture the travel of light in the colours of its visible spectrum. Ultraviolet light, which is just outside the visible spectrum, is the energy source required for the creation of life. Therefore, So in the largest mosaic, where violet light ­ the visible light region closest to ultraviolet ­ is represented, there is a stirring motion, the beginning of an action/creation like movement. Light is an essential part of glass art, and all three components of this series are, one way or another, dependent on it.

On a formal level, The Creation Project addresses the main limitation that I have constantly tried to challenge as an artist working with glass: how can I represent matter, states (liquid, solid, gaseous) and energy with the static material of glass? Simultaneously, I have tried to express visually sensations and emotions: how does running water apprear to the eye? How does one arrest gaseous hydrogen to capture its composition? How can I decompose energy in small particles in order to get the sense of its travel? As Albert Einstein talked about science and emotion in his essay The World As I See It, “[t]he most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science.”[1]

On a symbolic level, thinking about and seeing the basic ingredients life needs to survive not only gives a perspective on the complexity of who we are and the place we inhabit, but it also humbles the spirit and hopefully unites one in thought with the rest of the world. In the current state of affairs where creationism holds a strong philosophical position, there is a need to beautify science and smooth its public perception as stern and devoid of charm: science can be beautiful, enchanting, soul satisfying. Taking basic elements of life into the ream of conceptual glass art shows that science is indeed, as the philosopher Francis Bacon has described it, “the labour and handicraft of the mind.”[2]

1. Einstein, Albert. Ideas and Opinions, based on Mein Weltbild, edited by Carl Seelig. New York: Bonzana Books, 1954, p. 8­11.
2. Bacon, Francis and Basil Montagu. The Works of Francis Bacon, Lord Chancellor of England: With a Life of the Author. Parry & McMillan , 1848, p. 571.