TRANSLUCENT WORLDS
JONATHAN AUSSERESSE & NAOKO WATANABE
As a child, French artist Jonathan Ausseresse watched his father make the mysterious material glass yield to his will. The alchemy
of the process enraptured him, and his desire to play with form
and light has remained with him throughout his life and career.
Ausseresse took the lessons learned in his father’s studio and has built
a career as an artist whose work plays with the movement
of light and colour across luminous glass.
Fluence coulée n°1.1
Fluence coulée n°1.1
The collection Diffraction, which features in the Cluster Crafts online exhibition and store, features objects made of banded glass.
The glass pieces are fixed on volcanic stone bases,
which contain LED light strips that can be adjusted to alter their intensity.
“The materials are raw and little changed. The slightly blue/green colour of the float, which is usually seen as a defect, is highlighted by a quality of very white lighting. The result is mineral, liquid and cold
– reminiscent of a glacier.”
Ausseresse’s often works in collaboration with other designers,
drawing on their expertise with other materials. At all different scales,
his work attempts to choreograph the movement of light –
and subsequently the viewer’s gaze – across a space.
“My creations are guided by the material itself,” says Ausseresse.
“I don't think about the formal or aesthetic aspect of my pieces
in advance, I conceive them in space as I experiment.
Glass is my first source of inspiration. All my pieces require manual experience, research into the gesture and precise know-how.”
DIFFRACTION | 2018 | Thermoformed and Fused Glass
PERTURBATIONS Table
His large Perturbations table also features in the Cluster Crafts collection. The table, fabricated from glass and marble, is inspired by astral observations: the thick, grey top aims to imitate a band of cloud and the legs invoke rays of sunlight.
“It perfectly symbolises the direction I wish to give to my creations:
a contemporary, functional spirit where the manufacturing technique
has its importance and echoes its use. I particularly like working
with other designers, whether they are draftsmen or craftsmen,
because glass combines wonderfully with other materials,” he explains.
“It also allows you to question your work, to open up the possibilities
and to create objects that you would never have been able
to do on your own.”
Ausseresse aims to create a sense of contemplation
in the viewer and a calm, quiet feeling.
“Tranquillity, calm, quietude and relaxation,”
he says. “These are very important feelings for me
and reflect my character, which is why I like
to transmit them in my creations.”
PERTURBATIONS Table | Detail
Rotation lamp
Japanese artist Naoko Watanabe is based in Japan. She works chiefly with stained glass to create pieces
that also play with light and attempt to capture
the ever-changing essence of nature in static pieces
of design.
The collection Ochiba, which features on the Cluster Crafts online exhibition pages, is a series of objects
made of panes of glass that are coloured
by real fallen leaves.
Carousel
Circus tent
Watanabe has been using fallen leaves in her work for over a decade.
The process began as a curious experiment and has now come to define her aesthetic.
When she picked up the first leaf in 2010 she had an idea of its potential and began a journey
into learning the art of staining glass specifically to capture the beauty of that leaf.
In her work each dry leaf is immortalised in the glass, held up to the light and encouraged
to show off the various tones and delicate veins that run through it.
Many of her pieces function as lamps or candle holders, adding an additional layer of intrigue
to the way the dead leaves are celebrated.
Checkered box
“The colours I work with are natural colours,”
explains Watanabe. “Pay attention to the subtle colour differences of each of the fallen leaves.
This natural colouring takes the Ochiba stained glass
to a unique world.”
The leaves, although now fixed forever in their autumnal colours, are a reminder of the constant passing
of time and the cycling of the years.
Work by both Jonathan Ausseresse and Naoko Watanabe is available to purchase
through the Cluster Crafts online store.
Thank you for reading,
Katie De Klee & Cluster Team.