As I Live and Breathe

MFA Thesis Show

Medium: Kiln cast glass, light, sound

Size: Dimensions vary

When kiln casting, the heating elements of the kiln reach temperatures above 1550° Fahrenheit. The air itself glows at that temperature, incandescent and alive. As the heat increases, the glass comes to life as well, becoming molten enough to flow. Maintaining this state is a rhythmic process, elements blazing with heat and then fading, allowing the temperature to hold steady without overheating. “As I Live and Breathe” brings these moments out of the kiln, and beyond their scale, highlighting the phenomena of process through the evidence of its creation. This is what molten glass does, when left to its own devices. The fundamental forces of heat and gravity take the lead, towers slowly building themselves even as they collapse into puddles, the glass seeking its own level at temperatures high enough to engage its surface tension. I am fascinated by these processes; fascinated by air so hot it glows, and the way that light and heat interact with form. Glass tells you who it is, at every turn, and with every conversation it tells you more about itself. Glass is not unique in this respect, but by utilizing the particular materiality of glass I investigate the intrinsic value of time spent. I explore the value of attention, and how directing it informs a sense of what matters, and why it matters to care.