Brittle Beauty
Glass Casting & Blowing. Sculpture. Light Projection.
Brittle Beauty is a series of ethereal glass sculptures that explores the delicate balance and inherent vulnerability of marine ecosystems. By transforming specimens of sea urchin shells and coral into translucent forms, this work captures the intricate textures and fragile beauty of life beneath the waves. The resulting sculptures, both delicate and resilient, serve as a poignant reflection on preservation, materiality, and the shifting states of our oceans.
This project showcases Elaine Ford's thoughtful engagement with glass, a medium perfectly suited to embody both the strength and fragility of the marine world. It bridges scientific observation with artistic interpretation, inviting contemplation on the hidden wonders and precarious future of our oceans.
The creation of Brittle Beauty began with a unique collaboration: the Natural History Museum and the University of Edinburgh generously lent me specimens of sea urchin shells and coral. These intricate structures, normally hidden beneath the waves, became the starting point for a journey into material transformation.
Using a combination of glass casting and glass blowing techniques – processes that themselves require both precision and a surrender to the material's inherent nature – I sought to capture not just the appearance of these marine forms, but their very essence. The resulting glass sculptures, with their delicate translucence and swirling patterns, echo the fragility of the ecosystems they represent.
In some pieces, a microscopic photograph of a starfish, taken during my marine biology studies, is projected onto the glass. This layering of scientific observation and artistic interpretation further underscores the interconnectedness of art and science in my practice. The projected image, fleeting and fragile, interacts with the solid, yet brittle, glass, creating a dialogue about time, preservation, and the ephemeral nature of beauty.
These are not mere replicas; they are abstract interpretations of marine life, inviting viewers to contemplate the hidden geometries and delicate strength of these often-overlooked organisms. They are sculptural echoes of a world both breathtaking and vulnerable.
