Light Embodied – A View of our Solo Show by Edmond Byrne
An uplifting colour palette
Byrne’s vessels invite the viewer to gaze beyond their translucent walls, drawing attention to their dual surfaces: the outer wall, marked with patina and texture, and the vessel’s inner face, quenched in colour. Together, they encompass the material body of the wall. These walls are not barriers but thresholds – interfaces where the surface and colour intertwine with the viewer’s perception.
These glass vessels begin as drawings, exploring emotion through mark making, gesture, and form. They are then translated into clay and fibre moulds. The moulds are built up by hand. When the molten glass is gathered up and blown into the moulds, they give it form and tactility. It is this calculated act of breath that expands the glass, pressing it just enough against the clay and fibre mould to leave a lasting impression. In some pieces the residue of the plaster can be seen on the vessel’s face. This outer surface, textured and skin-like, holds a tactile presence, whilst the light entwines through and within. The colour projected through the variations of semi-transparent glass shifts our perception, inviting an intimate exploration of the material’s qualities.
“‘Edmond Byrne’s new glass vessels carry marks that reflect the moment of their making and their yearning for the past. Here is a balance of the ancient and the present; the remembered and the contemporary. His vessels may look as if they have been uncovered in an archaeological site. Surfaces are encrusted as if with the leaching silica of an ancient place, or the patina of a Roman bowl in a museum vitrine. They have an empathy with nature as well as time.’ ”
