Now I am in Moscow and probably for a good while. I still want to continue my investigations and in this post I want to write about the exhibition I have seen in London just before my leave. This was Dale Chihuly at Halcyon Gallery. I would like to point out that the reason why I made a step through the doors was something seen behind the spacious windows of the gallery, and it was not an object, but the atmosphere created by a number of those.
Dale Chihuly says: 'when you're looking at glass you're looking at light', while I felt like I was looking at the coloured light, which was glowing from the far end of the staircase and flowing into the old boat just in the middle of the gallery space, like if it was brought here from somewhere magical. There light obtains shape.
All his works seem like if they were probably not inspired by anything in particular, but taken from some artists imagination reality, which is formed, in my opinion, by practical engagement with the material. His objects are spontaneously developed, which is determined by the process of the glass blowing technque. This kind of work is complex: adding pigments to the glass is done a number of times and glass is melt everytime one is added, and all these should be done quite quickly. While the form is blown, fire and gravity take part in the process, and I think that probably because of these processes his objects look like a result of natural happenings, forming a series of them.
Objects from the same series while made in the same technique, look as a result of a playful, experimental approach, like if the artist was curious every time about possibilities of glassblowing in each of them. I believe every object looks like a new step on the way to the whole journey. Nevertheless, his perfect knowledge of technique and high professionalism let him play with hot honey-like lquid glass in such a natural manner.
While all the objects in his work are done in the same technique by blowing the glass, I find it interesting that each series is a result of particular hand movement. Work is done by a number of people and the steps made each time are the same, nevertheless every object is a result of different movement and every time there is something slightly varying in each of them, so every object and series objects form also become an ambodiment of physical motion.
I really do enjoy that his works do have names, but not every particular piece. They determine the movement probably more that the meaning the artist imposes on them, and so by that these objects obtain the wholeness of their own.
I am simply really happy that I had a chance to engulf myself with the atmosphere, which was created by Dale Chihuly's objects. I believe that his works distinctly express not only his own imaginative reality, but the possibilities of highly masterful approach for the material and genuine fascination by its possibilities.
