Colourful landscapes
- Edmond plays with colour and texture
- He combines tradition with contemporary ideas
- He won the 2018 RDS Irish Craft Bursary
Researching colour in glass, Edmond Byrne noticed an illusion. When nuanced hues were combined with tertiary colours, the hue would not be immediately apparent. Only gradually as the eye adjusts and compares is the hue revealed, bringing forth a subtle symphony of interactions and realisations to be discovered and contemplated. A call and response between mind and eye. In his work, Edmond searches for a sense of full and perfect resolution - a point of completeness. He is fascinated by the aura of the object and how we respond to it. His work demands time and patience but rewards by resonating on an emotional level. As a maker, his satisfaction comes both from the journey of creation and the final outcome.
Interview
- How did you become a glassworker?
- After graduating, I took courses in kiln and furnace building, learning to make equipment. I also learned from assisting other glassblowers, including Killian Schurmann and Dale Chihuly. Those experiences gave me the confidence to set up my hotshop.
- What is special about working with glass?
- The interaction with the maker and material, a ‘haptic communication’ that creates a state of flow. In a molten state, glass is constantly moving and you must directly work with this hot, fluid material to create a coherent form.
- What is unexpected about your work?
- The finishing process involves polishing the rim of the vessels. The sound this process makes echoes and resonates through the glass. To me it sounds like an orchestra warming up, getting ready to play a masterpiece.
- Is glassworking considered endangered?
- Globally the glass community is thriving. The work created is more innovative, diverse and relevant than it has ever been. But it's a fragile ecology that requires an increasingly rare vocational dedication to master a material.
Edmond Byrne is a master artisan: he began his career in 2000 and he started teaching in 2002
Where
Edmond Byrne
