Press Release
REFRACT: Contemporary glass design. Traditional techniques.
Curated by Róisín de Buitléar.
City Hall
Waterford City
28th of May - 19th of September
ID2015 Celebrating the Year of Design in Ireland.
Refract will present the work of twenty glass designers from Britain, Czech Republic, Columbia, Costa Rica,
Demark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, and the USA.
Featuring work by:
François Azambourg, Thibaut Allgayer, Vic Bamforth, Juli Bolanos, Marc Braun, CIAV, Mendel Heit, John
Kiely, Krista Isreal, Lucie Koldova, Malfatti Glass, Camilla Moberg, Ingrid Reugemer, Studio Brichet Ziegler,
Jeremy Maxwell , Noccu, Wintrebert, Sarah Wiberley, V8 Designers and Heikki Viinikainen.
Waterford City, renowned the world over for its luxurious crystal treasures, is about to embark on a new
voyage in glass design. This summer, Waterford City Hall will host an exciting exhibition of captivating,
contemporary glass objects. This exhibition will showcase top international glass design including lighting,
tableware, and vessels, showing innovations in design directions and in glass production.
Set in the beautiful City Hall on Waterford’s Mal the exhibition is open to the public, Monday to Friday
10am to 4.30pm. Design concepts in glass to be seen include; crystal clouds, slung capsule lamps,
translucent touchable fur, and vase that tells a story. The underlying curatorial theme of this exhibition is
how traditional glassmaking techniques have been reinterpreted to create new contexts for objects in
glass.
An intriguing glass cooking stove is traveling from the V8 Designers’ studio in Strasbourg. Seattle designer
and maker, John Kiely will be displaying his glass incalmo a balance of glass engineering and colour.
Drinking glasses with names such as: ‘Little Dumpling’ by Malfatti USA, ‘Bubbles’ by Ingrid Reugemer,
Germany, and ‘Ponds’ by Heikki Viinikainen, Finland, bring a contemporary caché to casual dining. Marc
Braun has a number of pieces designed for the Swiss Glass Company Lobmeyr, a set of engraved water
carafes, and drinking glasses, a Brandy snifter and bottle for the Stahlemuhle company. Bottles by Costa
Rican designer, Juli Bolanos recycles and reuses waste glass. Jeremy Wintrebert France, has reshaped
traditional stained glass window glass from Germany’s Lambert’s Glass Company, into enormous pillars of
transparent colour, containers of luscious light and liquid. Two British artists; Vic Bamforth and Sarah
Wiberley, paint onto the surface of glass vessels, one telling mythical stories the other inspired by luxurious
wallpapers. Vanity Mirrors of blown glass, a vase that can be recreated into a 100 versions from one mold,
and translucent table lamps reminiscent of confectionary, are on show in this exciting exhibition. Every
piece, brings a fresh look at this ancient heritage craft, made so famous by Waterford, fitting then that
Waterford The Glass City is showcasing this new expression in the Year of Design in Ireland.
REFRACT is being supported by ID2015, Waterford City and County Council, Viking Triangle Trust, and
Waterford Institute of Technology.
Complimentary Exhibition:
Masters of the Glass - Local masterpieces from the city and county .
Curated by Róisín de Buitléar.
Waterford Treasures Medieval Museum
Viking triangle
Waterford
28th of May - 19th of September
Specially curated in the Year of Design 2015, this exhibition brings together, on temporary loan, glass
masterpieces from private collections, many of which have never before been publicly displayed. The
exhibition includes one off centerpieces, special commissions, and ditties made by glassmakers as personal
gifts. This is the first exhibition of its kind to be held in Waterford city, and showcases the extraordinary
skill of local glassmakers in the specialist field of cut and engraved crystal. Featuring work by, Fred Curtis,
Joe Kelly, Danny Murphy, Heinz Plattner, Maurice Scanlon, John Stenson, Pat Brophy, John Coughlan,
Eamon Hartley, Miroslav Havel, Tom Hayes and Greg Sullivan.
Five city partners are working together under the ‘Glass City’ banner: Waterford City and County Council,
The Viking Trust, Waterford Institute of Technology, Waterford Central Library and Waterford Treasures
Medieval Museum, are coming together to bring glass into centre stage for the next 6 months. Supported
by the Year of Design 2015 and the Glass Society of Ireland, this series of events aims to inspire a fresh
creative approach to working with glass in the region. For updates see
http://www.waterfordcouncil.ie/en/Resident/Culture,and,Heritage/
Facebook: Waterford The Glass City
Twitter@Glass_IE
waterfordtheglasscity@gmail.com
Contact:
Róisín de Buitléar, Curator, @RdeBuitlear 087 775 1938
Sinéad Brennan, @bobbybrennan89 Project coordinator 085 702 77884