2013 INTERNATIONAL MASTER CLASSES & CONFERENCE

The Real Thing: Beyond StereotypingThe 2013 Programme will explore cultural identities

Trove Gallery. Artist: Siobhan Healy

Master Classes and Conference 2013

North Lands Creative Glass Master Classes are an intensive, immersive, creative experience

you’ll never forget. Our programme combines artistic development, motivating discussion and

social exchange in an amazing, inspirational natural environment with fascinating local heritage.

Classes run for nine days in the North Lands Studio which is equipped to support a wide range

of techniques.

The annual Conference brings together artists, practitioners, academics and experts in the field

of glass and other media to give presentations and lead debates in an international gathering.

The Conference takes a broad approach to themes exploring arts and crafts, challenging

expectations and making connections across artforms. The schedule includes breakout time

each day to take part in activities and see demonstrations. Evening entertainment includes a

Conference dinner and party.

Made In LybsterAn exhibition of new works from the North Lands Creative Glass Collection ofContemporary Glass. This year there will be an exhibition of new acquisitions to the Collection from the last five years.

Each year world class Master artists and artists-in-residence contribute works to the Collection

which now comprises over 160 objects. These unique works were made in the Studio in Lybster,

inspired by the North Lands Creative Glass experience.

The exhibition opens with a private view on Saturday 7 September and runs until Friday 4 October 2013.

perhaps it is all in the detail.

perhaps it is in how we make

those details and then how we

use them. during the Master

Class we will build a repertoire

of techniques by experimenting

with transparent and opaque

vitreous paints and silver stain

in conjunction with engraving

and sandblasting on glass.

then, using that repertoire of

details and textures we will

explore the effect of order in

technique and design.

participants will then be able

to add these techniques to

their personal language to

work on vessels.

during the Master Class we

will go on an escapade to find

textures, forms and the stories

of Lybster and northern

scotland. I will encourage the

juxtaposing of images to create

narratives ‘in the round’ whilst

playing with texture, pattern

and design on the vessels.

Also I would like each

participant to bring an

image/idea they would like to

‘give away’ in a collaboration.

two minds on one piece: an

exciting challenge!

Deborah Cocks is regarded

as one of Australia’s foremost

exponents of reverse glass

painting. drawing on a long

tradition of european painted

glass, deborah’s work provides

a witty narrative of Australian

rural life, where vermin and

pestilence co-exist with the

fertility of native flora and fauna.

Autobiographical elements

fused with found imagery and

creatures, both strange and

familiar, co-habit her objects

alluding to enigmatic only

partially revealed meaning.

deborah studied art history at

the Australian National

university, Canberra and

completed post graduate

studies in glass at sydney

College of Art. she was in 1995

the inaugural recipient of the

ranamok Glass prize for

Contemporary Glass Art.

deborah has been a visiting

lecturer in Australia, Japan and

the uK. Her work has been

exhibited in Australia, europe,

united states and Asia and is

represented in many notable

public collections worldwide.

'Working the Surface - Texture, Detail, Stories and Patterns'Deborah Cocks

CLASS 1: 28 AUGUST – 5 SEPTEMBER

titles of the pieces from top left: braysCreek, detail untitled bowl, Nest, blueLoop (above).

CLASS 2: 28 AUGUST – 5 SEPTEMBER

‘The Gravity of the Objects’Anne-Lise Riond Sibony

I would like to invite the

participants to reflect upon

small-scale installations. the

approach consists of working

on compositions made from an

assemblage of non-identical

elements. the composition

should fit into a cube

1 x 1 x 1 m.

the number, size, shape and

colour of these elements will be

left to the participants’ choice.

the main technique will be

glassblowing with all the

possibilities it offers, ranging

from abstract free-blown

monochrome shapes to

painted baroque mould-blown

artefacts.

the purpose of this class is to

reflect on the choices that each

participant makes in creating

the link between elements.

these will become the

connections giving unity and

meaning to the composition.

From the starting point, a

drawing, to the physical

resolution of the piece, I would

like the participants to analyse

how the reality of the making

influences their initial idea and

what aesthetic and intellectual

choices they are making to

bridge the gap between idea

and reality.

Anne–Lise Riond Sibony is

one of France’s most innovative

artists working with glass. she

discovered glass at urban

Glass in Ny and completed her

studies at CIrFAV in Nancy,

France. she first became

interested in glass as a support

for painting, an area she had

already worked in. Initially she

used the graal technique, which

allowed her to include painted

and engraved portraits in blown

glass shapes. From there her

painting experience led her to

still life as a subject. since

2008 she has been exploring

the metamorphosis of two

dimensions – in painting – into

three dimensions. Anne-Lise’s

inspiration comes from many

sources, always expressing

narrative. Anne-Lise has

exhibited in many major

galleries in europe and the us

and her work is part of several

public and private collections.

titles of the pieces from top left: Labonne aventure net, Mavie de poisson net,digeree1A4, transformation 1net (above).

SATURDAY9.15 Welcome, Opening Remarks

9.30 ‘Jewellery in the Age of Queen Victoria: A Mirror to the World’ – Keynote Presentation.Judy Rudoe FSA has worked at the British Museum since 1974, specialising in jewellery, togetherwith 19th and 20th century decorative arts. This lecture, drawn from her latest book Jewellery inthe Age of Queen Victoria: A Mirror to the World, is the result of 30 years research, together withCharlotte Gere. Web resources produced a vast amount of totally unexpected information onjewellery with fish scales or live glow-worms or electrical batteries that enabled a death’s head tognash its teeth and roll its eyes and why there was a craze for Colorado beetles in 1877. QueenVictoria’s own choice of jewellery was enormously influential, so what might seem a narrow subjectacts as a key to our understanding of the Victorian age – its mourning rituals, its politics, itsnationalism – all are embodied in its jewellery. Judy will focus on what jewellery meant to thepeople who wore it, in both public and private spheres, on the layers of meaning that jewellerycould convey and on its function as a symbol of national identity, in particular the recreation oftradition in Scotland.

10.30 Morning Coffee

11.15 ‘Change and the Solitude of Detail’. *Deborah Cocks says: ‘As participants know, when aworkshop begins there is a flurry of learning new techniques, acquiring new ideas and new friends.Then sometime, usually on day three, a quiet descends on the room as each of us works withinour own space and thoughts; solitude within a group. It is a wonderful meditation where the new isadded to the old. I think life is like this. We embrace or reject change, reflect on what has passedand retreat into the detail to make sense of it all. I hope what I make reflects this intricacy. I thinkthis is where my talk will start.’

12.15 ‘Standing in the Maze’. Judy Tuwaletstiwa is a writer and a mixed media painter. Her paintingshave been exhibited internationally and are part of numerous private, corporate and publiccollections. She says: ‘I grew up with immigrant Jewish grandparents in multi-cultural East LosAngeles. I lived many years in the woods of Northern California and on The Hopi IndianReservation in Arizona. I now live in New Mexico.

In the elemental landscape of the vast southwestern desert, a thin membrane separates the dailyworld from the world of the unconscious. I shall talk about that world and how I use what we allshare…personal memory, cultural memory, biological memory, ethnic memory, mythic memory…tocreate the vocabulary that forms my art. I shall also discuss how glass has become an essentialpart of that vocabulary during the past year as Exchange Artist with Bullseye Glass.’

13.15 Lunch

14.30 ‘A Future for Mali's Past’. The typical mud brick architecture of the city of Djenné is highlyimportant for the cultural identity of the local Malian people and also recognised as of worldwideimportance by UNESCO. It is listed as a World Heritage Site. Thus Djenné is not only awarded theinternational status it deserves, but the preservation of its monumental architecture becomes acommon responsibility. In order to preserve this vulnerable architecture, constant maintenance andrestoration work is essential. In addition, it is important that local knowledge of mud brickconstruction is not lost, and that the local people are made aware of the significance of theirunique heritage. The Museum of Ethnology and the Malian Ministry of Culture have been workingtogether since 1996 on the restoration of the architectural heritage in Djenné. Through restoring thishistorical architecture and providing work for local masons, the future of this remarkable culturalheritage is ensured for both Malian and foreign visitors to Djenné.

2013 CONFERENCE:‘The Real Thing: Beyond Stereotyping’

Dr. Annette Schmidt studied Prehistory at the University of Leiden. She led an internationalexcavation in Dia (Mali) and since 2002 she has been Curator of Africa at the Museum ofEthnology, Leiden.

15.30 ‘Weaving glass’. *Anne-Lise Riond Sibony says: ’Deep down, my work is not about glass, it isabout weaving. My threads are material and immaterial. They are, for instance, emotions,memories, paintings, colours, volumes and many techniques… I weave together these threads thatare of fundamentally different natures. As my work proceeds, some get the upper hand and othersfade out, but all contribute to the fabric of glass and of meaning from which my pieces are made.’

16.30 Tea at Waterlines Visitor Centre, Lybster Harbour

18.00 Exhibition Preview: ‘Made In Lybster’. An exhibition of new works from the North Lands CreativeGlass Collection of Contemporary Glass.

20.00 Dinner and Conference Party

SUNDAY9.15 ‘From Mantelpiece to White Cube, Progression or Circumstance?’ *Richard Slee says: ‘This

presentation will trace the ambitions and circumstances during my now long creative career.During this time I have travelled from producing a mural in Macedonia to initiating an ornamentamnesty art event at an art fair in Middlesbrough. Have I shaped my practice or has my practiceshaped me? In an art world where diversity is celebrated is the specialist maker still special?’

10.15 Morning Coffee

10.45 ‘The Art of Modern Tapestry’. Since it was founded in 1912, with weavers from William Morris’sworkshops, Edinburgh’s Dovecot Studios have produced tapestries and rugs ranging fromtraditional wall hangings to experimental textile art. Often these have been made in partnershipwith famous painters. The success of this collaboration between artist and weaver has variedthroughout the century. An artist might expect a design or painting to be ‘simply’ translated intotextile, by matching colours and echoing brushwork. At best, however, weaver and artist cantogether evolve a new work in which the spirit of the initial design enters a quite new andsometimes unanticipated, even magical, dimension. Curator and historian, Elizabeth Cumming,explores the nature of modern tapestry and that crucial artist-weaver relationship via a range oftapestries designed with British and American artists from Graham Sutherland to Louise Nevelson,Eduardo Paolozzi to Frank Stella.

11.45 Demonstrations in the Alastair Pilkington Studio

13.15 Lunch

14.30 ‘Multilayered’. *Tiina Sarapu says: ‘Art always speaks of the author's experience, both frompersonal life and societal influences. What makes art particularly interesting is that, if observedcarefully, it reveals hints about landscapes of the future. My work represents changing times – a happy childhood in the Soviet Socialist Republic of Estonia and the consequences of thatrepressive society's collapse; some golden times from my past and some darker days as well.Glass is the best material to study the multitude of layers in the human soul and to experience the existence of all these layers simultaneously.’

15.30 Summing-up by Tina Oldknow, Curator of Modern Glass, Corning Museum of Glass.

16.00 Concluding remarks

The 2013 Conference is sponsored by Corning Incorporated, USA& Bullseye Glass Co

*Please see Master Class information for biographical details of Master Class leaders

SATURDAY/SUNDAY

7 – 8 September

Artists realise the intangible

through their work. I invite

participants to reach for the

limits of knowing. trying to

understand your own thoughts,

feelings and actions, trying to

realize what is usually hidden,

is exciting and can be

uncomfortable. I am convinced

that disclosing the secrets and

understanding the unknown

also widens the undiscovered

world and life will become even

more interesting.

sheet forms (paper, glass,

metal etc.) are very inspiring.

though very simple, edges

and surfaces are full of

independence and relationships.

every edge and surface-side

has its own character, but at

the same time they all are

inseparable and depend on

each other.

We could start working with

paper as the simulation material

for glass, and then continue

with sheet glass, letting heat

and gravity act in the kiln

(perhaps intervening by lifting or

pushing). Just adding a hole or

a cut to glass sheet before

firing opens an endless space

for playing.

Tiina Sarapu is one of

estonia’s leading artists working

in glass. Her work is

characterised by a minimalistic

language of form. often

working as an installation artist,

she alternates the meaning of

an initial idea, setting it in

different contexts – as in several

installations with music stands

and mirrors – thus creating

illusory spaces, visualised

sounds, stretching the limits of

perception. Working mainly with

rectangular sheets of glass, as

most suitable for expressing

different ideas, she says: ‘Glass

in my works signifies the world

between opaque and

translucent, visible and invisible,

material and immaterial, real

and unreal’.

tiina sarapu studied glass at

the tallinn Art university and

holds a post-graduate degree

from the estonian Academy of

Arts. since 2003 she has been

an associate professor of the

Glass department at the

estonian Academy of Arts.

she has curated several

exhibitions, participated in many

symposiums, exhibited

extensively in europe and her

works are held in several public

and private collections.

'On the Edge of Knowing'Tiina Sarapu

CLASS 3: 10 – 18 SEPTEMBER

titles of the pieces from top left: Fromup, Watermill, Golden Moments (above).

CLASS 4: 10 – 18 SEPTEMBER

I will lead this class in

partnership with you, and with

the help of expert technical

assistance, in an exploration of

free-formed blown glass.

Critically we will all have to

make choices from these

practical experiments/

explorations to progress.

to enable these personal

choices it will be central to

this workshop that we forge

a community of shared

experience through practice

and discussion. As a relative

stranger to the craft of glass,

I hope my contribution can be

that of a voice from outside, as

a creator, maker and artist, to

bring new responses to the

possibilities offered by

free-formed blown glass.

‘there are known knowns.

these are things we know that

we know. there are known

unknowns. that is to say, there

are things that we know we

don't know. but there are also

unknown unknowns. there are

things we don't know we don't

know.’ Former united states

secretary of defence donald

rumsfeld. 2002.

Known as the ‘wizard of studio

ceramics’ or ‘the craft world’s

resident alien’, Richard Slee is

one of british craft’s most

compelling figures. He has

worked professionally in

ceramics for 30 years and,

while his meticulously

handcrafted forms initially owed

much to a thorough study of

18th century staffordshire

ceramic techniques, his output

has been anything but

traditional. From the start he

challenged every convention

and fitting him into the context

of ‘studio ceramics’ is

complicated by his increasing

assimilation of the language and

values of ‘fine art’ and the

incorporation of ready-mades.

since 2001 he has avoided the

second-hand, instead using

‘new and shiny components’

with no nostalgic romanticism.

He haunts d.I.y. shops. Winner

of the prestigious Jerwood

prize in 2002, he is now

emeritus professor of Ceramics

at the university of the Arts,

London. richard has taught

extensively, exhibited all over

the world and his work is

represented in numerous

collections worldwide.

Richard Price, a highly

respected artist and glass-

blower, based in Amsterdam,

will be working with richard

slee and Class participants to

help realise their ideas in

hot glass.

'Unknowns' Richard Slee

titles of the pieces from top left:escape, red Hammer, philosophy,silent Flute (above).

NORTH LANDS CREATIVE GLASS is situated in Lybster, a small fishingvillage on the far north-east coast of Scotland. It was born in the nineties out of aneed to create a centre of excellence to stimulate the growing interest in thepossibilities of glass as an art form. Through its programme of Master Classes andAnnual Conference North Lands aims to stimulate a lively exchange of ideas whilstalso allowing time for reflection and action in a professional environment.

Master Class formateach Class will begin on the first day at 9.00 amwith a studio orientation and conclude at 5.00 pm on the last day of Class. the studiowill be open the following day from 9.00 am –12 noon for collection of work.

Master Class Registration registration for each Class will take place theday prior to the Class commencing. Furtherdetails will be sent along with confirmationdocuments.

Application Guidelines to apply please send the following:

● A brief CV outlining your previous experience.

● A short statement (maximum one page)outlining the benefit of the Class selected toyour artistic practice.

● ten images of recent work, in Cd format.each image should be numbered tocorrespond with the image information sheet.

● Image information sheet. please include yourname, number of images, title, date made,dimensions, techniques.

● booking form.

● If possible please also send a copy of your application by email to:info@northlandsglass.com. text files should be in word format.

Teaching AssistantshipsA limited number of teaching Assistantshippositions are open to qualified artists andstudents. participation as a teaching Assistantaffords the opportunity to gain valuable careerexperience and to develop individual abilities asa teacher or technician.

to apply send the following to arrive in the NorthLands office by 31 March 2013

● A brief CV outlining your previous experience

● A short statement (maximum one page)outlining the benefit of assisting the Class youhave selected to your artistic practice.

● ten images of recent work, in Cd format.each image should be numbered tocorrespond with the image information.

● Image information sheet. please include yourname, number of images, title, date made,dimensions, technique.

● two letters of recommendation.

● booking form.

● If possible please also send a copy of your application or by email to:info@northlandsglass.com text files should be in word format.

● please note on your booking form whether ornot you will be able to attend North Lands asa participant if you do not receive anassistantship.

Application Deadline All application details should arrive in the NorthLands office by 31 March 2013. Allocation ofClass places will be at the discretion of theselection Committee.

If you are allocated a place you will be sent an

MASTER CLASSES are open to artists working with glass, painters, sculptors, craft artists,architects, designers and others who wish to explore the technical and artistic potential of glasseither on its own or in combination with other materials. All classes are juried and subject to aminimum and maximum enrolment.

invoice, further information on accommodationand travel directions.

Late Applications North Lands will continue to acceptapplications after 31 March. Applicationsreceived after the deadline will be processed inthe order they are received if space is availableand until all Classes are filled. If space is notavailable an applicant’s name will be placed ona waiting list. please be prepared to respondquickly should a place become available.

Annual Conferencethe Annual Conference is intended for glassand other artists, architects and designers,gallery owners, curators and others interestedin creative glass. on receipt of your bookingform an invoice and further information onaccommodation and travel will be sent

Funding Assistance / ScholarshipsA limited number of scholarships and grantsare available for both Master Classes andConference attendance.

● professional artists from scotland may applydirectly to North Lands Creative Glass forfunding towards their attendance costs. Full-time students are not eligible for this funding.

● Full-time students and emerging artists(those working in glass for less than fiveyears) may apply to the Friends of NorthLands scholarship Fund for assistancetowards their costs.

● An award of £1000 from daisy 2000 will bemade to cover Master Class fees and acontribution towards expenses for oneemerging uK artist.

● other uK and overseas participants areencouraged to apply to their local Arts/CraftsCouncils for assistance towards costs.

Funding and scholarships are awarded on meritto those artists and students working in glassor in any other area of the arts.

please note on your booking form if you areapplying for funding assistance and whether ornot you will be able to attend North Lands ifyou do not receive funding assistance.

Refunds and CancellationsNorth Lands makes a substantial investmentwhen organising the Master Class programmesand vacancies can be hard to fill at short noticeeven if there is a waiting list. therefore, if acancellation is received over 45 days prior to aClass start date the full fee less a £50cancellation fee will be refunded. A cancellationreceived less than 45 days but more than 21days prior to the start of Class will receive arefund of 50% of the Class fee less the £50cancellation fee. there will be no refund forcancellations received less than 21 days priorto the start of a Class.

Applications for Master Classes,Conference and Teaching Assistantshipsshould be sent to:NortH LANds CreAtIVe GLAssQuatre brasLybster, CaithnessKW3 6bN, scotland

Enquiries: applications, accommodation,travel and general information: Lorna MacMillan: Administration Manager

t: +44. (0)1593 721 229

e. info@northlandsglass.com

w. www.northlandsglass.com

If you would like to be kept informedelectronically of forthcoming events andactivities at North Lands please forward youremail address to info@northlandsglass.com

The Alastair Pilkington Studio and theConference venue are accessible to disabledpeople. Participants are asked to advise theAdministration Manager in advance of anyspecific access requirements.

A99

A9

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A9

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Glasgow Edinburgh

Dundee

Aberdeen

Inverness

GolspieHelmsdale

Wick

Thurso

LYBSTER

Travel informationNearest airports: Inverness (90 miles), Wick (14 miles) from Lybster.

Nearest train station: Wick orHelmsdale (25 miles)

BUT

It is cheaper and moreconvenient to travel by coach,train or air to Inverness fromwhich Stagecoach operatesbuses to Thurso, via Lybster.The journey from Invernesstakes 21/2 hours and calls atthe Portland Arms Hotel. www.stagecoachbus.com

Cove

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Ken

Crossan

, Caithne

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Collection

Printed on paper made from 100% recycled waste and fully FSC certified.

Copyright 2013 North Lands Creative Glass

North Lands Glass Charity No: SCO23805

supported by