Nikau vase II

'The Expo Commission, the size of the Pavilion, the siting of the work all seemed to require work of a "ceremonial" rather than a "domestic" scale, works of ritual power. I leapt with confident audacity into making works of such a scale and technical complexity that even now I would hesitate to try them again.

...... A wax blank is formed by pouring molten wax into a plaster base mould. This wax blank is then modified and invested in a second mould, made of refractory materials that can withstand a long period in the kiln at high temperatures. After the wax is burnt out, the cavity is filled with molten glass. The glass-filled mould is then carefully cooled to room temperature. Larger pieces require up to three weeks cooling and one week finishing. Casting up to 50 kilos of glass is extremely challenging, pushing the technique to its limits.

I am concerned with the timelessness of beauty. The bowl for me is a timeless form with multiple levels of meaning. The bowl evokes all it has historically been - from the earliest mortar, through ritual and religious bowls, to the bowls that talk to satellites. The receiver, the holder, the protector, the offerer, and the transmitter.

Ann Robinson

Wellington, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Treasures of the Underworld exhibition, 1992, Seville, Spain; New Zealand touring exhibition 1993. cat no 36.