CIAV MEISENTHAL

Transatlantic Creative Exchange 2019

Initiated in 2016 by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and Wanted Design, Transatlantic Creative Exchange is a program that pairs French and American designers and manufacturers to explore new techniques and innovate boldly as a unified transatlantic design team.

This collaboration is presented by Oui Design, an initiative of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, the FACE Foundation, and Wanted Design.

 

 
Dans le cadre d’une collaboration transatlantique avec Wanted Design (NY) et ses partenaires, la designer Elyse Graham (Los Angeles / USA) a mené une résidence de recherche dans les ateliers du Centre International d’Art Verrier (CIAV) de Meisenthal. Le travail d’Elyse est caractérisé par une approche expérimentale des techniques de mise en œuvre des matériaux. Elyse aime faire et défaire. Déconstruire et reconstruire à nouveau. Ses multiples expériences de travail sur la couleur, notamment avec le matériau-résine, ont séduit l’équipe du CIAV qui a estimé que son regard pouvait faire dire d’autres choses au verre et ses techniques académiques d’approche de la couleur. Et nous n’avons pas été déçu !
 
 
 
 
 

Pattern and Process: Experiments in Glass

Having never worked in glass, I was both eager and anxious to collaborate with CIAV.  I proposed a project based on taking the experimental processes I use with resin—casting material in layers and then removing it from the exterior to reveal unexpected patterns of color.  Translating this process to glass was especially intriguing to me as it would allow me to work with translucence and illumination, material qualities I haven’t been able to achieve with my resin work. 

The resulting pieces are experimental prototypes.  I hope to be able to pursue this glass process further and continue to push the material to create more complex patterns and textures.

 
 
 
 
 
 
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International Glass Art Center (CIAV) was founded in 1704 in the Vosges region of France.  Originally producing everyday glass items between 1867 and 1894, it became the laboratory for Emile Gallè, the leader of the Nancy School.  The Ècole de Nancy art and craft movement that emerged in Eastern France in the early 20th century, facilitating unprecedented technical and artistic research, giving Meisenthal the position of the “cradle of Art Nouveau glassware.”  After surviving both World Wars, the factory went out of business in the 70s.  In 1992, the International Glass Art Center was founded, offering artists and designers a place to work in collaboration with the glass makers for glass experimentation.  Each year CIAV collaborates with artists to create new “boule de Noel.”  It is the second year of collaboration with Oui Design, last year CIAV collaborated with Brooklyn Glass Lab and Francois Azambourg to produce a new series of his iconic “Douglas Vase”.