Theme:- Vision
In December 2024 there will be our Christmas POp-Up shop which is being held, this time at Stacks Cafe in The Sovereign Centre in Weston-Super-Mare.
This exhibition gives students the opportunity to exhibit and possibly sell some of their artwork. This year, as I have been working with Jesmonite. Jesmonite is a versatile, durable, and lightweight composite material used in construction, architecture, and art. It consists of a gypsum-based powder or micro-cement combined with an acrylic polymer, creating a strong and moldable material. Developed in the early 1980s, Jesmonite can mimic traditional building materials like stone and wood, making it ideal for architectural details and fireproofing. In art, it is popular for creating sculptures and intricate designs due to its ability to retain fine details. Jesmonite's resistance to moisture, chemicals, and UV light also makes it suitable for outdoor and demanding environments, as well as lightweight architectural projects.
I have made two bowls made from Jesmonite with little "windows' in the base of each, one made from Art Glass and the other made using float glass. I am still in the process of researching the idea of using float glass in my artwork. Float glass is basically standard glass which is used in windows, doors and greenhouses. It is a different product from Art glass which is specifically designed to fuse in a glass making kiln. Float glass as the name suggests is made by floating molten glass onto molten tin which results in uniformly flat glass suitable for its primary purpose, to be looked through.
The private view was well attended (despite the fact that the Sovereign Centre appeared to be locked up so when trying to access the Cafe from the car park stairs, it was locked at the bottom of the stairs. In the end we entered the cafe from the outside by walking down through the car park exit.
The work looked great on the walls and on the plinths and it was obvious that Kari, Simon and the team had worked hard. However I was intrigued to see that one of my bowls had a crack in the bottom of the glass. My thoughts turned to why this might have happened, and I concluded that there may have been a temperature differential between the Jesmonite and the glass which put stress on the thinner, more delicate nature of the float glass. Whether this was correct it was hard to tell, but, the result is that I will need to change the design of future bowls.
Later on in the week, my course colleague Tom Meredith invigulated the exhibition, and at this point we realised that there was a small design error in the way the cafe was set up. There was an outside door (which we had obviously accessed at the private view) which happened to be directly opposite the door into the Sovereign Centre itself, which meant that there was a strong draught blowing across the cafe which was not a cosy feeling to be honest. There was a small amount of interest from the general public in the work and we were supplied with delicious lates and teas by the cafe staff.
Comments