“The experiences of the pandemic and desire for breathing space has become reflected in my current series ‘Nubivagant (Cloud Wanderer)’. These sculptural glass vessels are inspired by beautiful skies and mindful moments on my lockdown walks. As I live in the city centre of Cork, the sky is a way to connect with nature in an urban environment. Soft colours are translated into delicate discs of pâte-de-verre (glass paste) then allowed to gently fold in the kiln, resulting in vessels that are like windows to other realms holding the serenity of the natural world.
As I developed the series, sharing with friends and family the images of the work forming, a beautiful exchange began to happen. People began to send me pictures of their skies, from all around the world. The most frequent contributor was my sister, who lives in Liverpool. Every week we send each other pictures of our ‘sister skies’. As I work with the glass, I blend my impressions of our exchanged moments into these vessels so that they become a way to express our stories and all the feelings from this time that we cannot find the words for, the love and the longing. In everything I make I am trying to capture a sense of wonder, to transpose transient and intangible moments into visible form. The delicate fragility inherent in glass as a material accentuates the impression of ephemerality and preciousness.”
Sophie lives in Cork City, Ireland and works from her studio at the National Sculpture Factory. She has been selected for an In the Window spotlight display in October 2021 as part of Liverpool Irish Festival, with the support of the Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI).