STUART GARFOOT

Brainwave, 2006.
Centrifugally cast glass
39cm x 22cm
Photograph: Simon Bruntnell

In essence, my work takes different disguises as part of a varied outlook on my creativity and investigation of glass in different forms. I am an educator, researcher, designer/maker or glass artist, and anything in between when the need arises.

Brainwave represents my latest concerns around the fallout from human domination of the natural world and the ensuing impact of this upon natural life forms, especially undersea marine life.

I have always been fascinated by the rich, abundant, colourful, natural life forms found undersea on coral reefs. These complex, animated, bold, liquid creatures are, like us, held together in an almost spiritual dance of communication and mutual survival. They are at once dynamic and independent single life forms, unique and wonderfully individual, yet completely interdependent in ‘family’ groups, generations of life flowing one into the other.

Today as my latest work evolves I find the human interaction with this natural splendour being compromised and poisoned by the inadequacy of mankind, so that life, complex forms and surfaces undergo increasing metamorphosis in the battle for survival.

I work in a mix of glass making techniques which reflects my visual language as a glass artist and designer. Paradoxically in this work I use industrial glass forming techniques in a free manner to describe this unique transformation of colours, forms and textures from the reefs through blowing and centrifugally casting glass into individually hand formed objects where nothing can be repeated more than once, capturing the essence of their life through light, movement and colour.

Biography pdf

Staurt Garfoot filler

Selected Biography

EDUCATION
1975 - 1978: MA (Glass) Royal College of Art, Post. Graduate Degree by Research Project with exhibition.
1972 - 1975: BA Hons, 1st Class, Glass and Ceramics from Stourbridge College of Art and Design.

ACADEMIC POSITIONS AND DESIGN WORK
2006 - present: Head of Glass Programme, University of Woverhampton.
2005 - 2006: Head of Glass and Ceramics Programmes, University of Woverhampton.
1980 - 1996: Rosenthal AG and Thomas, West Germany, Designer of Glass products and artist’s objects, ie, Saga, Paso Doble, Caverna, Points, etc.

EXHIBITIONS
2008: Curation of the ‘Glass Routes Exhibition’, Bilston Craft Gallery.
2008: Organisation of the ‘Creative Pathways’ Symposium at the University of Wolverhampton.
2007: Research visit to 6 Universities in China, giving presentations and advising Chinese glass industries and manufacturers.
2006 - 2008: Made in the Middle. A Craftspace Touring exhibition drawn from practicing contemporary craftspeople and designers from England.
2005: Poseidon’s Paradise, solo exhibition at Luniverre Glass Gallery, Paris.
2004 & 2006: British Glass Biennale. International Festival of British Glass, Stourbridge.
2001: Religious Glass Art, Ebeltoft Glass Museum, Denmark.
2000 & 2003: Participating Artist for the 7th International Glass Symposium, Crystalex Glass, Novy Bor, Czech Republic.
2000: Designed and made The Chancellor’s Stall for Lord Paul, the Chancellor of the University of Wolverhampton in partnership with Dr Vanessa Cutler.
1998 - 2000: River of Knowledge. Led the research team developing overhead casting on an architectural scale in partnership with American Glass artist John Lewis of San Fransisco, Stuart Crystal and the University of Wolverhampton.