It was a
double treat at the Royal
Ontario Museum
I'm pretty
picky about glass blown art. In the past there have been a very few who have
managed to catch my eye with their designs. Chihuly is definitely the one I've
found most impressive. For more information about the ROM display: https://www.rom.on.ca/en/chihuly
(For the record, there was a sign out front saying "photos
encouraged" with the hashtag #scopify - feel free to check it out.) Not
only is the quality of Chihuly's work astounding, but he also managed to pluck
some personal heartstrings with me, taking on glass retakes on my favourite
things - water, and campfires.
I don't
know if this was the intent, but the boatload of globes made me think of the
Universe collected in a boat, and a creation story about sailing through the
vast expanse of space, placing the planets and scattering them so the vastness
would be less empty. I really enjoyed the contrast of the black glass beneath
the boat as well, giving the impression of a calm black ocean, with colourful
chaos riding on top.
Or, the
impression of a raging ocean in the boat while sailing on calm waters below. As
someone who has never tried glass-blowing, I'm astounded by the myriad of
shapes and colours Chihuly and his team are able to combine and shape, and with
such vividness and range.
Stepping
into the next room I imagined going beneath the calm waters to an underwater
coral reef entirely of glass. (Folks nearby discussed a fantasy/alien garden.)
It's been a while since I've looked at glass work that made me delight in
colour this much. I wanted to set up camp and just stare at it for hours, but
alas, time waits for no one and there was still more to see.
I wasn't
able to get a full unblemished photo of the campfire, but as my camping buddies
will know, I'm prone to staring into the flames and getting lost into
daydreaming and meditation next to the fireside. When I saw this I had nearly
the same reaction. I wanted to just stay and stare, which is difficult to do
surrounded by other onlookers, who also aren't watching where they're going,
and that in itself is hazardous around glasswork.
The
glass-on-glass ceiling was, without a doubt, my favourite part of the show. Large
pillows on the floor allowed a body to lay staring upward and examine the
kaleidoscope of colour. The two dear friends who were with me had their baby in
tow, and apparently this kind of colour is mind-blowing to a child. She went
through the room, and promptly passed out to have, what I choose to assume,
were colour coated dreams.
All in all,
I have to admit to having been enchanted by Chihuly's display. I enjoy stained
glass and glassworks, but his work has gone far beyond what I expected to see,
or thought possible.
