God's Own Junkyard

 Hidden away in Walthamstow, a town within the London Borough of Waltham Forest, is a hidden gem with one of the coolest and quierkiest exhibits in the city. 😉😉

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Reflections! Week 27

 "This week we're diving into the world of reflections, mirrors, and shiny surfaces to create some creative and magical shots!"

"Natural bodies of water like lakes or even small puddles can act as incredible mirrors. Man-made mirrors and reflective surfaces can also add surreal vibes to your frame. Experiment with angles and distances."

 

 

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Memories Made (part 6b)

 As mentioned in the last post, we took the exit/entrace door to the garden display at the Chihuly Garden and Glass.

The first captivating display was.....

"The centerpiece of Chihuly Garden and Glass is the Glasshouse. A 40-foot tall, glass and steel structure covering 4,500 square feet of light-filled space, the Glasshouse is the result of Chihuly’s lifelong appreciation for conservatories. The installation in the Glasshouse is an expansive 100-foot long sculpture in a color palette of reds, oranges, yellows and amber. Made of many individual elements, it is one of Chihuly’s largest suspended sculptures. The perception of the artwork varies greatly with natural light and as the day fades into night."

Once through the glasshouse you find yourself in the botanical garden. This is not the first garden where Chihuly has shown his artwork, but this is the first garden where he worked with a landscape designer to create a space unlike that of any garden or exhibition elsewhere. The unique plant collection is specially chosen to complement Chihuly’s work and the striking colors and forms of the trees, plants, and flowers create a rich backdrop for the art. 

In the middle of this landscape, on a hilltop of black Mondo grass, is “Pacific Sun.” With its yellow and orange, snakelike rays, the piece has the power to brighten even the grayest of Seattle days. 

This space features a dynamic red glass sculpture composed of trumpet-shaped botanical ‘flowers’. Silhouetted against dark green weeping Alaskan cedars, the color is nothing short of remarkable.

A collection of Neodymium Reeds and Seal Pups among nearly 500-year-old salvaged old growth Western Red Cedar from the Olympic Peninsula is a key anchor of the gardens. 

Besides flowers and glassart there were several other items that caught one's eyes.

One of them being fluffy......

And the other being bushy....

The use of color is quite masterly, moving from subtle and varied to bold in quick succession, keeping one's senses on the alert. 

Below is the Citron Icicle Tower which measures 30 feet tall.

Lucky for us, there was a glassblowing demonstration included in the walk around the garden. 

Naturally, we stopped to watch before continuing our walk. 

It’s fascinating to watch these artists in action, as they work with the molten glass to form the desired shapes.

The Chihuly Glass and Garden is right next door to a Seattle icon the Space Needle, a 605 foot tall observation tower built in 1962.

No we did not go up the tower......height and I are not buddies.

But within the Space Needles proximity  and at the end of the garden tour,  is 20-foot-tall pink “Viola Crystal Tower.” 

 "It might come as a surprise to many that the pink candy-like pieces aren’t glass, but rather a type of plastic Chihuly and his team invented. And as for the sculpture’s name, it’s a nod to the artist’s mother, Viola, who is said to have nurtured Chihuly’s love of and deep connection to nature."

And so this is the end of our tour of the Chihuly Garden and Glass in Seattle, but not the end of this post.

I decided to add this last photograph.

 

Seeing Chihuly's art in this garden, I remembered taking the following photo in Murano. 

So I dug it out, thinking it was one of his works as well. But after further research I learned that this sculpture was actually created by Simone Cenedese as a focal point for the 2006 Murano celebration of Natale di Vetro.  

 

The world's tallest glass Christmas tree,weighing three tons (2000 pounds). The tree was three meters (~3 feet) in diameter and consisted of 2,000 metal rods and 1,000 glass tubes. Illuminated by 40 halogen lights.

Inspired by Dale Chihuly's art.

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Memories Made (part 6a)

 When you think of blown glass and glass sculptures you immeditely think of Murano, Italy.

At least, I do.

Having lived in Italy before the rinderpest and then revisiting the area several years ago,specifically Murano, the association is automatic. Beacuse after all the Murano Islands are world famous for this glass art. Venetian glassmaking in factories existed as far back as the 8th Century.

But Murano is not the only place where one can see these beauties. A world renowned American artist from Tacoma Washington has his work exhibitied in Seattle.

His name: Dale Chihuly 

The venue: Chihuly Garden and Glass 

 "Chihuly studied interior design at the University of Washington in Seattle  and received an M.S. in sculpture from the University of Wisconsin, where he studied glassblowing under Harvey Littleton. In 1968 he received an M.F.A. in ceramics from the Rhode Island School of Design. That same year he traveled to Italy on a Fulbright scholarship and a Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation grant and worked at Venini Fabrica, the renowned glassblowing workshop in Murano. 

Returning to the United States in 1969, he established the RISD glassblowing program and founded (1971) the influential Pilchuck Glass School north of Seattle. There he created the first of a number of environmental installations—a group of clear glass bulbs floating on Pilchuck Pond. He continued to teach at RISD until 1980.

In 1976 an automobile accident left Chihuly blind in one eye, and thereafter he was dependent on assistant gaffers (glassblowers) to execute his distinctive designs."

"In 1996 he completed Chihuly over Venice, a collaborative international undertaking involving glassblowers from Finland, Ireland, and Mexico. That project included Chandeliers (an enduring theme), which were installed around the city and lit by natural light, and numerous other glass forms that were released to float freely along the Venetian canals."

 "Chihuly’s technical innovations enabled the production of a tremendous range of patterns, colours, and textures. Among his several extended series were Blankets, for which he used cylindrical forms covered with patterns derived from Native American blankets;

Seaforms, shapes evoking sea urchins, shells, and other marine life;

"Chandeliers, large-scale hanging sculptures illuminated by natural light sources.Variations in scale made it possible for onlookers to experience his pieces as intimate personal objects or to be completely immersed in them."

"In 1986 Chihuly began his Persian series while experimenting with new forms. Originally, he displayed Persians in pedestal compositions, often smaller shapes nested in larger pieces. Later, working with an architectural framework, he mounted larger forms to walls and suspended them as overhead compositions. The first Persian Ceiling was presented in his 1992 exhibition openingthe new downtown Seattle Art Museum. Lit from above and resting on a flat glass pane, the elements of the Persian Ceiling come together to provide an immersive experience in color and shape."

You can watch how Chihuly creates these pieces of art in this video.

 There is no doubt that this exhibit is a must see for anyone who appreciates the art of glass blowing.  

It is a feast for the eyes! 

In addition, since a Chihuly piece can cost an exhuberant amount of money, owning photographs of some of his work is the next best thing.  🤪

This last photo is not a Chihuly. 😉😎

But rather the exit to the indoor exhibition and the entrance to the garden exhibit, which is the next stop of this tour.

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