Client: private

Overview

The glass art installation “Contemplation” builds the architectural space of a private interior designed by architect Krzysztof Popielarek, through the introduction of bent relief glass reflecting a continuous curvature.

Goals

Consisting of 6 full-height elements, the composition creates an interior for contemplation. The object, weighting over 1200 kg, reflects the course of the spiral set by the architects. The installation is illuminated by an inner tube of light, the reflections of which are distributed in a variable manner over a hand-shaped relief. The overall effect is complemented by music that puts the recipient in a contemplative mood.

Process

The vertical relief was manually prepared by Tomasz Urbanowicz at the bottom of the kiln, and then cast in low-iron glass at the temperature of 850°C, in order to eliminate the greenish tints of standard glass. Flat castings, with a thickness of up to 5 cm, were placed on specially developed bending forms. After second heating to roughly 600°C the castings gravitationally bent on spatial forms and annealed slowly in a thermal process lasting several days. Each element was shaped on a dedicated form reproducing the curvature of the line on a given fragment of the designed floor. Vertical joints of individual glasses were set on the axes of the composition, and their compliance with the vertical relief blurs the visibility of expansion joints.