Liquid Fusion

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Architect, Designer and Educator Paul Haigh returns to Boisbuchet to lead a glass design exploration workshop focusing on the ephemeral and sublime qualities of glass as a rich palette for innovation and intervention. Emphasis will be placed on the idea of "...glass as a liquid" in exploring an ancient material that can transform process into poetry.

Working immediately with glass forming processes such as pipe blowing, fusing, hand pressing and glass sheet forming, participants will examine glass making as an art form with pertinent methodologies for today's design disciplines. Daily design challenges will explore and develop ideas to fabricate glass concepts at multiple scales from fashion to furniture, from artifact to architecture. Each participant will design and fabricate multiple works utilizing the processes offered.

Liquid Fusion has been developed in partnership with the technical expertise, resources and cooperation of the 'glassLAB' at the Corning Museum of Glass USA. The 'glassLAB' is staffed by master glass technicians and features modular glass making equipment that utilizes minimal power requirements and efficient energy consumption.

Early booking is recommended, as the number of participants will be limited. It is compulsory for this course to have good drawing skills.

For further information, please view the documentary Liquid Fusion, which has been produced at Boisbuchet in summer 06.

Documentary Liquid Fusion 06

Paul Haigh

Born in Leeds, England, Paul Haigh graduated from Leeds Polytechnic Institute and the Royal College of Art in London. He established his own architecture and design studio, HAIGHArchitects+Designers, in New York in 1980 and was joined by partner Barbara H. Haigh in 1983. Acclaimed architecture projects in USA include the VitraUSA factory, Knoll Design Center NY, Carolines Comedy Theatre and the SteubenGlass store. The studio's furniture, object and lighting designs include projects for Knoll, SteubenGlass, Vitra, Artemide/RezekUS, Rosenthal US, Esprit, Bieffe, BaccaratUSA, RosenthalUSA, and the Corning Museum of Glass NY.

Winner of numerous architecture and design awards the studio's projects have been exhibited at both group and one man exhibitions including Parsons School of Design, SoHo Guggenheim Museum and Cooper Hewitt Museum of Design in New York, Dentsu Gallery in Tokyo, RIBA Gallery and Royal College of Art in London and at the Venice Biennali.

In recent years, he has taught at Parsons, the New School, for Design in New York in addition to presenting lectures and workshops at architecture and design schools worldwide.  
 

Corning Museum of Glass

As a child, Steve Gibbs spent Sunday afternoons at The Corning Museum of Glass daydreaming about life as a glass engraver. At 14, he began an apprenticeship with his uncle, a master leaded glass artist with over half a century of glassworking experience. Fresh out of college, he was hired by Steuben and worked for 17 years as a manager, supervising different parts of the Steuben Factory, including the engraving shop. He was introduced to hot glassblowing at Steuben and has spent the last 7 years learning about the process. Currently, he serves chiefly as an assistant on the Hot Glass Stage and still considers himself a student, exploring the wonders of glass with his audience.