Críoch, Tús (2022)
A two-piece artwork made using pâte de verre (glass paste), a kiln-formed glass technique. Both pieces are egg-shells, broken at the top and flat at the bottom to allow for them to sit upright. These forms are in glass, made using the pâte de verre technique, meaning glass paste. The original model is hand-built clay, from which a mould is taken. Small coloured glass particles are mixed and ground together and tapped into the mould.
These are from the Críoch, Tús series of glass artworks referencing our loss of biodiversity, focusing on our declining bird population. The material was selected as it is delicate and represents the fragility of our bird populations and of our ecosystem in general. A broken egg shell is a symbol of something beginning and ending. A reminder that our planet is in trouble, but we still have time to do something about it. If we are willing to.
Michelle Ryan is a glass artist living and working from her studio in Co. Clare. Her art practice explores our relationship with nature and one another.
Críoch, Tús is located in the What’s in Store? exhibition at the National Museum of Ireland at Collins Barracks.
