Lisa Behan

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Chihuly Garden and Glass

Dale Chihuly + my watercolour version of his work

A spectacular site specific permanent exhibition of Dale Chihuly's glass art, including a glasshouse and gardens. I liked how much randomness played a part in the work. Clearly skilled in the process of blowing and shaping glass, when he was collaborating or leading teams he allowed happenstance to inform his artistic vision. It was a great reminder of the power of repetition, how a lot of something is really impressive, it looks like a lot of work because it is. The Persian Ceiling on display contains over 1400 individual pieces.

He has collaborated all over the world working with various glass or crystal makers, such as Waterford in Cork, Ireland. Chihuly has made site specific installations in Finland and Venice - floating glass objects down rivers, hanging them from bridges or trees, placing them in forests or seal-like on rocks. He uses mesh to tie the objects into their larger forms of organic shapes that sit in the landscape naturally.