This thesis discusses the visibility of glass in contemporary art. By "visibility," I mean the potential perceptual and epistemological character of the material that can undermine its understanding exclusively in terms of transparency. Glass may seem to lack visual interest because of its transparency; our focus apparently lies on the other side of a glass pane. Glass mediates between here and there, between the subject and the object, and between seeing and being seen, without calling attention to its mediation. The more invisible this mediating function of glass becomes, the less visible its other material qualities are, even though, as I argue, each can have the same importance as transparency• in contributing to the meaning of the material. The distinctive use of (un)broken glass in contemporary art prompts a reconsideration of our understanding of the "invisibilization" of glass across different levels. Diverse works are brought together in this thesis because they all challenge conventional understanding in their presentation of glass, treating it either as an image or as a real object; as a subject matter or as an artistic medium; and as an aesthetic phenomenon or as a perceptual experience. More importantly, these works collectively serve to demonstrate the ambiguity of glass by revealing a variety of contrasts in its character, including those between durability and fragility, between transience and endurance, and between transparency and opacity. Through examining the sheer diversity of the physical manifestation and conceptual exploration of glass since Marcel Duchamp's The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even (1915-1923), whose chance breakage opened up a new perspective on evaluating the potential of the material, this study aims to cultivate a keen awareness of the reality of glass that resists being incorporated into a conventional discourse in which only its role as inconspicuous mediator is crucial.

When Christian chapels were first built within British secular institutions such as Great Ormond Street, they utilised the tradition of using stained glass to create images of Christian narrative. Due to the association of stained glass with British Christian churches, this research asks can stained glass continue to be used to create narrative in such places or are other forms of artworks in glass more appropriate? Some of the formally Christian chapels are being adapted to become spaces used by people of different faiths and those of no faith. The terms used to describe these places are various. This study uses the term quiet room, as it is inclusive, rather than prayer room, which implies an act of faith, or multi-faith space that implies it is only for the practice of a religion. When referring to a space or study that uses a different term, that will be used as appropriate. This thesis includes case studies of four potential methods of art glass fabrication used in sacred spaces, in order to understand how they might affect the use of the space. A second set of case studies analyses the use of glass and imagery in institutional multi-faith quiet rooms and discusses how glass is being used. Two practice-based case studies explore the way in which, as a stained glass artist, I design windows for sacred and secular spaces using knowledge acquired from the previous case studies. The case studies examining quiet rooms show glass continues to be used to enhance the spaces for the multi-faith situation. From this and practice based case studies it is suggested that despite the link with Christian churches, glass artworks can be used effectively in quiet rooms if designed appropriately. This thesis considers the use of natural imagery in quiet rooms and concludes that light is of special interest both as a source of natural imagery as well as in its relationship with glass. This thesis aims to be of interest to those involved in the commissioning of and the artists creating new glass artworks in such spaces.

The nature and form of public funding for the visual arts is investigated, specifically as it relates to the artist and exhibition. From a regional perspective in the field the study evaluates development seeking to find the most effective ways to support the artist, facilitate new work and enable public engagements. The study is as much about my contribution to the visual arts in the north - as it is a distinctive narrative history. Focus is given to projects, applied ideas and issues to which I contributed. My earlier experiences of lecturing in Chicago and being an artist in Wales influenced my thinking and work at Northern Arts (1974-1992). An innovative artists’ support model was created, with a network of schemes, programmes and organisations. Artists’ rights, the crafts and market place initiatives were developed. Gallery, production facilities and services were improved. Direct exhibition provision was ended; independent trusts were supported. Exhibition outside the gallery was explored through residencies, sited commissions and different forms of public art, which underpinned the region’s award of ‘UK Year of Visual Arts’ 1996. ‘Win–Win–Win’ situations and creative learning environments were sought where the artist, the host and the public benefit. Changing contexts and work-based roles, as an art consultant (1993-2003) and academic (2000-2010) enabled new ideas, opportunities and insights. Alongside the core funded national and local art galleries and organisations, or the private/commercially driven galleries and concerns the ‘third way’ of visual arts development through a higher education platform is assessed. At the University of Sunderland this enterprise was addressed through research, glass education, knowledge transfer and the National Glass Centre. Working approaches and strategies used to develop support are offered as transferable development practices. Evolution and my contribution are evidenced over four decades to extending art practice, widening exhibition and artists’ support.

This research explores aspects of architectural phenomenology as evidenced in the ‘quirk’, described here as a peculiarity or idiosyncrasy of a building’s personality. Using digital technology, this study frames and contextualises a body of sculpture, performance and installation in glass that interprets personal ideas of home through social, cultural and emotional connections. The research is focused on exposing the quirk to anthropomorphise the site, expressing its familiar and intimate nature. Previous research in creative glass has used digital design and manufacturing technology in studies that contribute primarily to the practical advancement of CAD/CAM processes. This new research applies such techniques, but is instead focused on their capacity to record, translate and realise ideas in relation to the quirk of the architecture. This approach translates quirks through data capture to visualise aspects of architectural phenomenology, which is defined in this context as the embodied, personal and sensory experience of space. A methodology which adapts architectural practice has been applied to provide a creative, flexible framework of site selection, discovery of the quirk and its translation, realisation and analysis. The four bodies of work described in this PhD include a monumental architectonic sculpture, a series of ‘window’ panels created using photographic imagery, a kinetic subterranean installation and a time-based performance of the experience of sleeping on glass. The contribution to knowledge can be claimed through a model of practice that utilises phenomenology through the translation of the architectural quirk to create a unique and diverse body of artwork; and the development of original working methods for waterjet cutting and kiln-forming to produce architectonic sculpture and imagery in glass. This PhD offers an example of the application of architectural phenomenology for those wishing to use architecture as inspiration for artwork.

Can creative material translation reshape artistic appropriation to escape the cycle of mimicry and mockery linked to contemporary visual art practice? To explore creativity in material translation, my project has been divided into three case studies, each translating a different pattern, from a different context and material, into my chosen pattern-making language of glass murrine. In the first case study I translate a Moorish plasterwork pattern from the Alhambra, in Granada, Spain. This pattern has been copied before: a translation of fidelity printed by Owen Jones in his publication The Grammar of Ornament, 1856.1 Jones’ pattern and my patterns will be used to examine fidelity and infidelity in material translation. In the second case study I translate Paisley, a Kashmiri textile pattern appropriated and adapted by western manufacturers in the 19th-century. Paisley's history of adaptation will be examined in relation to my translation, to compare the two methods in the context of a single decorative idiom. In the third case study, I translate a stamp- printed furnishing textile pattern designed by Bernard Adeney in the 1930s. This translation will be an isolated interaction between two makers, a similar position to the critique of contemporary visual appropriation, allowing for a comparison between infidelity and appropriation. Murrine has been chosen as my material language because of its ability to create patterns with colour, depth and unlimited variation. The murrine technique involves the heating up and stretching of canes or sheets of coloured glass, arranged in designs that become very small when elongated. These stretched lengths are then cut in cross-section to form mosaic tiles. Developed by the Greeks and Egyptians, the murrine technique has been under constant development for the last 2000 years. I have further refined the technique, incorporating new methods such as waterjet cutting. I have made final artworks from each set of murrine in the format of flat glass panels, each exploring its pattern in a unique way. An examination of each artwork, its process of translation – including drawings, computer models, photomontage and other designing methods – and its material and contextual change will forge the link between making and writing in this project. My original contribution to knowledge is the exploration of a practical act of visual translation, analysing material change and creativity. The project serves as a model for material translation, questioning the contemporary act of appropriation in both art and culture. The project developed through my rejection of contemporary practices of appropriation, along with my passion for the spiritual nature of pattern and the glass technique of murrine. My theoretical framework is built around the linguistic concept of ‘creative translation’. Linguistic theorists such as Jorge Luis Borges ‘treated translation as a creative force in which specific translation strategies might serve a variety of cultural and social functions’.2 My project will adapt this linguistic concept to visual practice, investigating its relevance to material language.

This research examines established and emerging practical methods and theoretical ideas in contemporary drawing in relation to studio glass. The Studio Glass Movement, encompassing both applied and fine art practice, originated in the 1950’s and, despite rapid advancements in the subject, glass is still considered an emergent material when compared to most other studio processes. For this reason existing and long established practices in drawing, developed in relation to other materials, may not be as effective in realising or exploring those qualities which are particular to glass, whether aesthetic, technical or philosophical. Parallel to this are rapid changes happening within the field of contemporary drawing as a subject in its own right, which influence the wider context in which studio glass engages. In this research the use of empirical methods provide working examples of how drawing and glass can be integrated, through the production of a body of new work supported by theoretical and contextual findings. The investigation is practice orientated, incorporating both practice led and practice based methodologies. The practice led theoretical research proposes a new drawing taxonomy in which dimension, notation, physiology and improvisation are understood as key components in the theory and practice of drawing. This is examined here in relation to glass as both a subject of drawing and as a material process. Identification and reference to contemporary issues in drawing come from a variety of sources, for example through the Drawing Research Network, contact with specialist drawing research hubs including Wimbledon School of Art and Loughborough University, specific exhibitions and attendance at related events and conferences . The practice based aspect uses facilities at the Glass Department, University of Sunderland and a drawing studio in Newcastle upon Tyne. The main area of exploration is concerned with the use of drawing integrated within kiln cast glass as differentiated from established practices such as engraving and stained glass which use drawing as a surface application to an existing glass body.

Glass has been made and used for centuries but South African artists, isolated for the last three decades, are only now becoming aware of the potential of hot or warm glass as an art medium. In antiquity glass objects were created using various processes but the 'factory' tradition began with the discovery of the blowing iron in the first century AD. The invention of the tank furnace in the late 1950s revolutionised modem production, enabling individual artists to make glass in private studios without blowing teams. The research describes ancient.. glassmaking processes and indicates how they have been explored, adapted and used by contemporary artists world wide, challenging craft orientated paradigms, and proving that glass is a viable and important sculpture medium. The practical research demonstrates the application of many processes and relates technical issues to sculptural concepts which are realized through the physical and material properties of glass. / Art History, Visual Arts & Musicology / M.A. (Fine Art)

Glass has been made and used for centuries but South African artists, isolated for the last three decades, are only now becoming aware of the potential of hot or warm glass as an art medium. In antiquity glass objects were created using various processes but the 'factory' tradition began with the discovery of the blowing iron in the first century AD. The invention of the tank furnace in the late 1950s revolutionised modem production, enabling individual artists to make glass in private studios without blowing teams. The research describes ancient.. glassmaking processes and indicates how they have been explored, adapted and used by contemporary artists world wide, challenging craft orientated paradigms, and proving that glass is a viable and important sculpture medium. The practical research demonstrates the application of many processes and relates technical issues to sculptural concepts which are realized through the physical and material properties of glass. / Art History, Visual Arts and Musicology / M.A. (Fine Art)