Kindling: Glass And Wood In Dialogue
Presented by Ruth Allen x Adam Markowitz
DETAILS
Free, booking required
Ruth Allen | Glass Epicentre
10 Hossack Avenue, Coburg North VIC, Australia
Join Glassblower Ruth Allen and Woodworker Adam Markowitz as they open the doors on their ongoing collaboration investigating the intersection of two millenia-old craft traditions of Glass and Wood. The fire hot, dynamic dance of blown glass collides with the considered, “measure-twice” and combustible medium of wood. As fires rage across continents, there is an eerie urgency in the combustion of these two mediums brought together.
Held at Ruth Allen | Glass Epicentre in Coburg North, the event will include a live glass-blowing demonstration. Watch as the glass flows, bends and ignites the purposefully crafted timber, forever joining these two specific pieces of glass and wood. On display will be further prototypes and experiments of this ongoing and evolving collaborative effort.
The demonstration will be held alongside a discussion, exploring the collaborative process. Ruth Allen, renowned glass artist and Adam Markowitz, award-winning architect and furniture designer-maker will delve into the process, potential and challenges discovered within this innovative fusion of two traditional crafts. Their conversation will explore themes of sustainability, materiality, and the role of skilled artisanry in addressing today’s environmental and social challenges.
The Glass Epicentre, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for glass, wood, metal, and ceramics, is more than just a workspace — it is a hub for collaboration and preservation of traditional techniques and knowledge.
By engaging with the work of Allen and Markowitz, attendees will gain insight into the inner workings of collaborative design, making and the skill harnessed by the radical merging of traditional techniques.
Participants
Adam Markowitz
Adam Markowitz is a cross-disciplinary designer, architect, and educator whose work seamlessly blends finely crafted architecture with hand-made furniture and lighting. Based in Northcote, he operates Markowitz Design, a combined workshop and architectural studio where he explores the joy of materials and the physicality of design. With a diverse educational background spanning Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the U.S., Adam has been deeply influenced by both fine craft traditions and contemporary design. His philosophy emphasises the intimate connection between design and fabrication, harnessing both modern digital processes and traditional craftsmanship. His work is held in collections both in Australia and internationally. Adam has taught experimental furniture design as part of the Master of Architecture at The University of Melbourne and at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Maine, USA. He currently serves as Vice President of the Victorian Woodworkers Association and teaches Ex-Lab at the Melbourne School of Design. Since 2015, Adam has operated his independent design studio, Markowitz Design, from the Meat Markets in North Melbourne. His work has been exhibited globally in New York and London, reflecting his dedication to pushing the boundaries of materiality, form, and craftsmanship.
Ruth Allen
Ruth Allen (b. 1969) is an Australian-based, New Zealand born artist with over thirty years of experience in sculpting hot glass. Allen graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Glass from Canberra School of Art in 1993 and obtained a Masters of Fine Art in Sculpture and Glass from Monash University in 2006. She is past president of the New Zealand Society of Artists in Glass (NZSAG) and her works are included in many institutional collections including the Auckland Museum and the National Art Glass Collection in New South Wales. Allen has exhibited, taught and participated in workshops in prominent venues around the world including Pilchuck Glass School, USA, Espace Verre, Canada & Tokyo Glass Art Institute, Japan. She has worked collaboratively with internationally and nationally acclaimed artists such as Laure Prouvost, Nathan Beard & Darren Sylvester to actualise their ideas for artworks in glass. Allen’s art work has been acknowledge in multiple awards and prizes including Waterhouse Natural Science Award, Tom Malone Prize and Best Bespoke product Design Award. Allen now co-directs an artisanal studio space in Melbourne that has become a functional hub for the fabrication of glass, ceramic, bronze, metalwork and woodwork. The space not only facilitates the creation of her own ambitiously scaled works, the studio orchestrates community workshops, runs a trainee program for glass enthusiasts, facilitates renown artists, designers and architectural projects from concept stage to fabrication.Ruth Allen is soon to expand into a purpose built, architectural landmark glass facility known as the Glass Epicentre. The Epicentre will thrive on an ethos of technical artistry, inclusion, collaboration, accessibility and sustainability – nurturing a strong and dynamic community of glass enthusiasts and practitioners to safeguard the future of glass as a specialised art form.