Ajetoglass

Light shades for the prototype of my Ceiling Lamp #1 design were recently completed at Ajeto Glassworks in North Bohemia, Czech Republic. I submitted design drawings to Ajeto a few months back and the samples were ready for me to pick up when I got to Prague last week. An early winter snow storm delayed that journey but, last Friday I braved the winter snows, drove to the town of Lindava and picked up the first six examples. I am very happy with the results.

Each shade was hand made by master glassblowers. First blowing a layer of clear glass, into a wooden mold made from my drawings, followed by a layer of white glass, then the top and bottom edges are cut and ground flat.

The next step in production of the prototype will be to create the light shade holder structure. This will require machining of oversize blanks that can be used to create the necessary molds. These structural parts will all be cast in brass, then CNC machined for a precision fit.

Fire in My Belly

This video installation was recently removed from the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. It was part of an exhibit by a group of gay & lesbian artists called "Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture".

Apple Computers, in its wisdom, has also censored
this video from their otherwise wonderful iPad device.

The work, a video called "A Fire in My Belly" by David Wojnarowicz, features a brief depiction of ants crawling over a crucifix. Wojnarowicz, who died in 1992, created the film which features vocal accompaniment by Diamanda Galás.

The video was removed after an organized campaign of complaints from the Catholic League (U.S.) and U.S. Republican House Minority Leader, John "bastard" Boehner. Politics and religion must never be allowed to dictate artistic expression.