On Saturday, Brooklyn Glass to celebrate performance as a medium for glass art

One of Deborah Czeresko’s fruit bowl fabrications in the process of being created, courtesy: the artist

Blowers swinging heavy pipes and struggling with the ever-temperamental medium of molten glass, fellow hot shop artists circling ready to assist anyone willing to place the fate of his craft into the hands of another—the art of blowing glass has always been, at its core, a theatrical process. Still, this theatrical process is not as often celebrated as the art that stems from it. This year, in the midst of Amory Arts Week (March 8-12) Brooklyn Glass will host a performance titled “PERFORMANCE AS MEDIUM: Installation Performance(s) Exploring Sound, Movement, Light and Craft as a Four Letter Word.” On March 10 in the hot shop of Brooklyn Glass, three established artists— Deborah Czeresko, Jeff Zimmerman, and Lydia Ainsworth will spotlight the theatrical nature of creating glass art while engaging viewers in an experimental performance piece. The night of performance will rely on media, light and sound. Each artist will bring a different performance aspect to their medium.

The goal of this experimental performance is to make sure the audience maintains an active role in the event. There will be some seating, but mostly the public is encouraged to stand and immerse themselves in what is happening around them. “What is unique about this event is that the audience is very much a part of what they are viewing,” said Jill Smith chief development officer of Brooklyn Glass. “Unlike art shows where the public views the work on display, here they are actually not viewing but experiencing.”

Glass art is different from other works of art in that one can not really successfully cast and blow glass without the help of others. The viewer does not often get to see the process behind the work that is shown in a gallery, and this process is often a work of art in itself. “The art of glass working is team-oriented,” said Smith. “It is a performance within itself because it involves so many hands.”

At the performance, glass master Jeff Zimmerman will explore various properties of glass including its destructive nature and its habit of moving constantly while molten. His performance will involve elements of Greek mythology including the legendary tale of Icarus—son of a master craftsman who made wings from feather and wax. He drowned in the sea when he flew too close to the sun. Zimmerman will explore the role of fire and heat in the changing state of glass— the way it hovers between liquid and solid states.

Deborah Czeresko‘s performance—“Craft as a Four Letter Word” will attempt to break down the barriers of categorizing glass-making as just functional craft and will explore glass in its broader role as abstract art. The audience will experience Czeresko creating a functional piece of art in a performance method.

The third artist in the performance is unexpected as her usual medium is not glass. Lydia Ainsworth is a Canadian composer who writes film scores. She also is an accomplished cellist, pianist and singer. During her performance the audience will be immersed in a modern dance while exploring the medium of sound and its role in contemporary craft.

“PERFORMANCE AS MEDIUM” as a whole is intended to spark the ever-evolving conversation surrounding glass art and expose the audience to new ideas. “For people who work with glass and people who don’t, the importance lies in providing a space and opportunity for conversation, said Alan Iwamura, director of education at Brooklyn Glass. “Thought-provoking theories and ideas take us to new places. This experimental performance exposes the audience to new ideas and encourages viewers to keep investigating the process of creating glass art.”

—Suzann Caputo