About the Window
Glass Artist Martin Donlin www.martindonlin.com
Project coordinated and managed by Helen Kitchen, Lime
www.limeart.org
Consultation with Staff and Patients:
Staff and Patients were invited to a series of consultation sessions with artists Martin Donlin, Lesley Fallais and Helen Kitchen from Lime. The sessions were designed to be fun and accessible as participants used images from nature, a photocopier, slide projector and coloured gels to visually explore the theme of organic forms. Participants were also able to talk in small groups with Martin Donlin, see examples of art glass techniques he has used on other commissions and to talk about the concept and design of the window for their new Centre.
Concept:
The main concept for the design was to create a window that is uplifting and optimistic and welcoming to all.
The design has been cut-up and layered as a collage, the intention was to create an artwork that had an impact from a distance but contained many subtle textures and treatments at closer inspection, revealing different nuances and layers at varying times of the day.
The design also borrows from the existing Nightingale Centre, where the reception area contained stained glass windows with large areas of a calming white glass together with rich vibrant colours.
The design is based on natural organic forms including trees, leafs, water, sun and sky.
The artwork extracts the essence and nature of these forms in order to create a powerful abstract atmosphere that interprets its subject rather than imitate it. This leaves the viewer to project his or her own thoughts and interpretations onto the window.
Materials and Techniques:
All of the glass is handmade mouth blown flashed antique glass. The recipe for making the glass is over 500 years old. The molten glass is gathered into a small ball on the end of a glass blowing pipe, then the glassblower rolls the ball into another colour of glass to create a thin “flash” of colour on the surface, the glass in then blown into a cylindrical form and left to cool in the kiln, once the glass has cooled it is scored to break the glass and then it is put back into the kiln to flatten out.
All of the coloured glass in the window is in fact a “double flash” as it has a very thin layer of white and then a layer of colour.
Once the glass has cooled it is cut to size and is ready for the treatments to begin.
The glass has been acid-etched sandblasted painted and stained with ceramic melting colours and then fired in the kiln to “fix” the added colours, finally the antique glass is bonded to the toughened glass backing sheet.