Glass Exchange

Monster Chetwynd, Ryan Gander, Katie Paterson and Pascale Marthine Tayou were each commissioned to work collaboratively with highly skilled glass specialists at National Glass Centre. The new work created is the outcome of the Glass Exchange project.

Monster Chetwynd’s commission, The Life of St Bede, consisting of four sculptures, depicting key moments from Bede’s life and writing, was displayed at Durham Cathedral in the Galilee Chapel, in close proximity to the tomb of St. Bede from 26th March – 11th September 2022.

Ryan Gander’s Ghost Shop, shown in Sunderland’s city centre, depicted an abandoned betting shop. Created using clear glass, the installation presented a ghost or memory of the former function of the space reflecting the changes to so many of our high streets and urban centres.

Katie Paterson has made two inter-related works. The first is Requiem, a glass urn filled with hundreds of samples of dust. This work charts the progression of time, with later samples drawing attention to the disproportionate impact of humanity on the Earth.

The second work is a series of hourglasses titled The Moment. Dust, crushed from meteors that pre-date the sun, flows for fifteen minutes through each timepiece allowing the viewer to reflect on the vastness of time and our role within it.

Through Colonial Ghost, Pascale Marthine Tayou aims to invite the viewer to consider connections between colonization and the growth of Christianity in African countries.