Lisa Cahill

Aurora Borealis Pendant Light 2023
Kiln formed glass, powder coated aluminium, stainless steel cable, LED

Artist statement:

Glass forms and surface textures offer an invitation to explore our intimate connections to the natural world. Kiln forming and cold working glass enables me to manipulate light - a distinctive feature of the Australian environment - evoking notions of an ephemeral experience. Rather than a direct reproduction, my artworks are an interpretation of light and landscape. Making new work is imperative to retaining continued enthusiasm for my studio practice.

A recent project with Craft + Design Canberra provided a professional development opportunity to extend my glassmaking beyond familiar forms. The project saw the creation of wall and pendent lights, a form which I was enthused to explore further, via the creation of this entry, the Aurora Borealis Pendant Light.

This new work uses familiar materials in a new form. I drew inspiration from the aurora borealis, the transient curtains of light which, under certain conditions, form in ribbons across the night sky. Technically the work required significant design innovation as I resolved how to capture this fleeting phenomenon of nature, in an elegant and expressive form. The lightness of the design was critical as I worked to create a form which captured this transient experience. The finished product is an elegant articulation of light against black, of movement against stillness.