CO: LAB

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LISA CAHILL ARTIST STATEMENT I was delighted to be selected for the CO:LAB project alongside woodworker Peter Bollington. It has been a very rewarding and exciting project focused on mentorship and research opportunities through working closely with architecture firm Light House Architecture and Science and their clients to develop bespoke lighting for their new build. This project enabled me to broaden my practice into the realm of lighting which I had been wanting to do for some time. The project was spread out over a year and broken into different stages. Stage one was meeting with the team from Light house Architecture and Science, their clients and site and studio visits. We had site visits to the clients home which was under construction as well as a site visit and meeting with clients from the previous CO:LAB project. Both these visits were invaluable enabling us to visualise different lighting opportunities. Studio visits to both Peter and my studio’s gave the clients an insight into our practices and allowed us to discuss our techniques, materials and the tools we use. This was also a great opportunity for Pete and myself to see each other’s different approaches and ways of working. Through the many conversations we had with Light House and their clients and seeing the natural materials and recycling of materials being used in their home I felt that an element of sustainability and a focus on natural forms and finishes was important. From the initial brief I began to explore ways in which I could translate the clients ideas and needs into successful sculptural lights that enhance the spaces they inhabit. I looked at how I could use glass to mimic nature and create a sculptural form that would also provide beautiful illumination in the clients home. I worked on designs for two different ranges of lights, one for the wall, and a long pendant for over bench or dining table. Glass has a unique ability to highlight, reflect and conceal light and is therefor ideal for lighting projects. I have always used these abilities to express the main themes of my work, Intensity of colour, translucency and captured light combine to evoke notions of an ephemeral landscape. I was interested in exploring these ideas further through this lighting project. In my artistic practice I am known for use of strong colours, especially shades of graduating blues and greens. For this project I pared back my glass and decided to use minimal colour in some lights and a crystal clear glass in other lights with subtle textures and surface details in an effort to create lighting that was sculptural and intriguing but could also coexist with the other elements, furniture and artworks in a home. The next stage of the project was an intense period of research and development during which we worked on the finalising the designs and then integrating the technical aspects of lighting into these designs. We met with formidable local designer Tom Sheehan who helped us work through this. As per my artistic practice I was open to using different techniques and materials for the artworks. Working out of the Canberra Glassworks hot shop I used molten furnace glass to create the glass for the wall sconces. The glass for the pendant lights was cut, kiln formed and cold worked in my studio to create soft folds and surface textures. Using these different glass and techniques I was able to create various effects that could still work together as a cohesive range of lighting products. The Swirl range used the fluidity of molten furnace glass to create organic swirls. It was poured onto the hot shop bench and the white powder was added while hot. I love this technique as the glass flows organically and it allows me to create unique pieces every time. These opaque swirls mimic patterns found in nature and adds texture and depth, creating interest in the shadows or where the emitted light is obstructed by the opacity of colour. I cold worked the surface of the glass to create a satin finish which helps the glass to hold and soften the emitted light from the light source. For the pendant version of the Swirl range I kiln formed gentle folds into a white and clear streaky glass. This design mimics clouds, a billowing curtain or light filtering through trees. The surface was cold worked and fire polished to again create a satin finish. My other range is the Flute glass range. For this range I used a crystal clear glass and melted strips of glass to the surface to create a fluted pattern which mimics patterns found in nature. This pattern is effective in catching and reflecting the emitted light from the light source creating
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY depth and intrigue. My Fluted wall sconce is an oval shape that has been kiln formed in a curve away from the wall. The Double Fluted Wall Sconce consists of two organic shapes overlayed on different angles creating a cross over effect which reflects the light in different directions and makes an intriguing sculptural form. For the over bench pendant in the Flute range I kiln formed the glass into soft folds and cold worked and fire polished to create a satin finish, a surface detail which softens the emitted light from the light source. The glass is reminiscent of fabric folds, light filtering through trees or wind rustling though long grass. The final stage of the project is an exhibition at Craft ACT in May 2023. My arts practice has grown immensely from this experience and I wanted to wholeheartedly thank Craft ACT, Light House and Architecture, the clients involved in this project and the generosity of the sponsors. It was an incredible project that will have a long lasting effect on my arts practice. Lisa Cahill is an award-winning, independent studio artist well known internationally for her kiln formed glass sculptures and installations. For over twenty years, since graduating from Monash University in 2000, Cahill has been refining and developing her kiln forming glass practice and exhibiting nationally and internationally. Cahill’s large scale installations and site specific artworks can be found in public and private collections worldwide including artworks for Tiffany & Co boutiques in Australia and China and The Sir John Monash Centre at the Australian National Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux, France. Recent commissions include Vacheron Constantin, Sydney, and Nobu Hotel, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Cahill’s work has been published widely including entries in the books Australian Glass Today by Margot Osborne, Contemporary Glass by Black Dog Publishing, UK, Art Glass Today 2 by Sandra Korinchak and magazines New Glass, Art and Architecture, Craft Arts International and New Glass Review. Artist residencies at the Northlands Creative, Scotland and Bullseye Glass, USA have been formative and in 2018 she was awarded the Art Group Creative Fellowship at the Canberra Glassworks. Having lived and worked in Melbourne, Sydney, UK, France, and Denmark, she now works from her own fully equipped glass kiln and cold working studio on the outskirts of the bush capital, Canberra, Australia
Page 1 and 2: CO:LAB LISA CAHILL | PETER BOLLINGT
Page 3: CO:LAB Lisa Cahill | Peter Bollingt
Page 6 and 7: Image: Lisa Cahill, Swirl Wall Scon
Page 9 and 10: Image: Peter Bollington, Lustre: Sm
Page 11 and 12: EXHIBITION FOREWORDS JENNNY EDWARDS
Page 13: Image: Lisa Cahill, Bronze Wall Sco
Page 17: Peter Bollington ARTIST STATEMENT T
Page 20 and 21: EXHIBITION TITLE LIST OF WORKS Lisa
Page 22 and 23: EXHIBITION TITLE LIST OF WORKS Pete

CO: LAB

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