GSOI#KeepWellGlassQuilt 2021
The theme for the GSOI (Glass Society of Ireland) project was ‘A Breath of Fresh Air’, this was chosen by Roisin De Buitlear to reflect the difficult lockdown situation experienced in Ireland and around the world over the last year. It was also a positive theme and one which was interpreted both through abstract and concrete visual representation . Lock down has been a period of isolation for many and being asked to fabricate this magical and golden quilt for the 50 glass members who have taken part in this project, has saved my mental health and encouraged me to keep a focus to carry on with my work. Bringing everyone’s glass pieces together has renewed my joy of collaborating with others and brought love and connection to all the members and their work, their immense skills and talent including all the different perceptions of what constitutes ‘a breath of fresh air’. The Keep Well Glass Quilt was exhibited in the Venice Glass week in September 2021. The Venetians absolutely loved the sentiment behind this marvelous collaboration !
Two of my rhomboid pieces.
This gallery shows the process of fabricating the glass quilt , from creating Marquettes with different types of backing, receiving all the glass rhomboids from 50 different members,creating a precise pattern to place beneath the chosen backing of brass mesh to which all the rhomboids have been sewn to. Polycarbonate rods were engineered to be fixed to the back of the mesh to strengthen the quilt by taking some of the weight of the glass. Brass rings were attached to the top of the rods by small steel pins and the polycarbonate tube was inserted into the rings to hold the quilt onto the brass brackets at the top of the frame . The design of the metal frame was created through discussions with my engineer Bob O’Malley who then fabricated the frame for the Quilt.
