PLAYING WITH FIRE

From dainty fish and birds to playful dolphins and ornate snakes, acclaimed glass artist Grant Garmezy's hauntingly evocative and beautiful glass sculptures will blow your mind.

- NIVEDITA JAYARAM PAWAR

Watching Grant Garmezy mould a beautiful fish out of molten glass reminded me of the words of famous science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Garmezy's finished products, which often integrate glass into performances is a dance between alchemy and art. "Glass is so interesting because you can't touch it. It's 1200 degree Celsius. That's really hot. We use special tools, timing and gravity to manipulate the material, which is constantly moving while hot. But I can sculpt it to look like anything--stone, fur, bone, ice, water, fire.

There is no other material in the world that offers such optics. I have been playing with it for 20 years and have loved every minute of it,” says Garmezy an acclaimed glass sculptor from Richmond, Virginia (US). He was recently in India at the Rural Modern Glass Studio, Mumbai’s first hot glass studio founded by architect and light designer Arjun Rathi.

The beauty of glass art lies in its ability to reflect light and create stunning, iridescent displays that are mesmerising, something that Garmezy has learned to do well. His pieces characterised by intricate details, imaginative themes and a dazzling array of surface textures often incorporate elements of nature creating a beautiful fusion of art and the natural world.

Sculpting Stories in Glass