The Glass Quilt

April 9, 2021 Woman's Way

The Glass Quilt

Craft makers all over Ireland are working on a giant glass quilt where their work will be brought together to create a unique installation. Caoimhe Mahon caught up with one of the leaders of the project, glass artist Aoife Sodden.

The amazing glass quilt is “sewn together” by makers in their own homes across the country, a heart-warming and uplifting collaborative project that connects craft makers.The collaboration is part of a nationwide campaign to kickstart creative projects while promoting mental health and wellbeing.

Denmark-based Irish glass artist Aoife Soden is helping to lead the project and explained that it would be made up of individual glass art pieces that will be “knitted” or attached into a large framework. The work will then be displayed once it is finished.

The theme of the unique installation is A Breath Of Fresh Air.

“We wanted to choose a theme that is very broad based and which encapsulated what a lot of different people living in different parts of the county or the world are currently experiencing during lockdown,” Aoife said. It can be interpreted “very literally or in a more abstract way”.

“It can relate to the distance people have to their families and loved ones, the emotional experience of living in isolation, what individuals see or feel while exploring their limited area or perhaps new experiences they have enjoyed or found challenging during this period.

Aoife is an active member on the board of the Glass Society of Ireland which teamed up with the Design and Craft Council on the Keep Well Campaign.

“When The Glass Society of Ireland applied to be part of the Keep Well Campaign we knew we wanted to create something which would reflect the difficulties of the last year but also focus on the positive aspects.

“This project in particular allows our members to use their specific skills within the wide medium of glassmaking and share this with others through a completed artwork.”

The Society reached out to thirty of its members to see if they wanted to be involved but the idea was so popular that the number of collaborators soon grew to fifty.

The advantage of the collaboration at the moment is the flexibility of where and how artists can get involved. “It’s a project most of our makers can complete at home as many people have no access to their studios. This heightens the inclusivity and that it can be carried out safely through Covid restrictions.”

The completed installation will hopefully be viewed virtually and, in time perhaps, in person.

“Individual members will be sharing their making process through photographs and videos which we will be uploading and linking to our social media platforms” explains Aoife. “By encouraging people to upload various images and videos of the final product we can all enjoy the project virtually.”

For details visit - glasssocietyofireland.ie

Photographers CREDITS/captions - will try to fix this on lay out as there are a lot and you may not use all the images:

Alison: Alison Byrne Wildbird Studio: https://wildbirdstudio.ie

Kathryna Cuschieri: https://kathrynacuschieri.squarespace.com

Karl Young Stained Glass: https://karlyoungglassartist.blogspot.com

Aoife Soden

Process: Hot blown glass pickup

Details: aoifesodenglass@gmail.com

Alison Byrne:

Process: Copperfoil process with dried plant inclusions

Details: https://wildbirdstudio.ie

Kathryna Cuschieri