Profile... Madisyn Zabel
Illuminate III, 2020, coldworked glass, 70 x 500 x 400. Photo: courtesy of the artist.
Emerging glass artist Madisyn Zabel is known for her unique approach to working with glass, using geometric gem-like forms to aid her exploration of the growing dialogue between craft and digital technology. As recipient of the FUSE Glass Prize - David Henshall Emerging Artist Prize in 2020, Madisyn has undertaken a residency with JamFactory’s Glass Studio to explore new ways to develop her practice.
Can you tell us a bit about your background, how did you get started working with Glass?
I grew up in a small town on the South Coast of NSW with a population of around 4,000 or so people, and because of this, I hadn't been exposed to Glass as a creative medium. When it came to further studies after high school I knew I wanted to do something creative. When applying for art school at the Australian National University in Canberra, I stumbled upon Glass. To get into art school, I was required to have a portfolio and interview for the medium I wanted to study. I interviewed for Print Media and Glass, and to be honest, I originally had picked Print Media as my first preference. I later changed this when I asked my art teacher, and my father which option would be better. They both said Glass, and I recall my dad saying something like, "glass sounds pretty unique and cool", – so I thought, why not.
What inspires your works, and how has this changed since you first began your practice?
Early in my practice, I was fascinated with illusion and perception and how I could explore these ideas in Glass. It has this wonderful ability to appear both two and three-dimensional through how it refracts and reflects light. During my undergraduate studies at university, I began creating geometric forms that created similar illusionistic effects to Louis Albert Necker's bistable illusion, the Necker Cube. This illusion makes it impossible to be able to tell which face of the cube is in front and which is behind. While staring at the pink cube your interpretation will flip back and forth between the two options. I am still inspired by this illusion and continue to make my own bistable illusions in my current practice through various glass techniques and mixed media.
What do you love most about working with Glass?
I love working with Glass because of its versatile and transparent nature, and I find that these qualities are great tools for me to explore themes of illusion and perception.
Madisyn in the Cold Shop of JamFactory’s Glass Studio , 2022. Photo: Connor Patterson.
Perceptual Reversal (pink green), 2019. Photo: Brenton McGeachie
Perceptual Reversal (orange aqua), 2019. Photo: Brenton McGeachie
“Early in my practice, I was fascinated with illusion and perception and how I could explore these ideas in Glass.
It has this wonderful ability to appear both two and
three-dimensional through how it refracts and reflects light.”
Same but different (aqua), 2022. Photo: Louis Grant.
You won the FUSE Glass Prize - David Henshall Emerging Artist Prize in 2020; how has this impacted on your practice?
Immensely! The exposure I received from this prize and being in the exhibition at JamFactory opened up many exciting opportunities. Also, being awarded a residency at JamFactory's Glass Studio was a fantastic chance for me to explore my work in hot Glass and try out new ideas.
Can you explain the process of creating the geometric forms featured in your winning piece Illuminate III?
I created each glass component using solid transparent coloured glass billets. I cut directly into these glass bricks with a handheld glass cutter, hammer, and diamond saw. I then collected the shards or chunks of Glass that broke off during the cutting process and then slowly ground down each fragment into the geometric gem-like shapes, following the facets that naturally occurred when cut. They were then hand sanded with sandpaper, creating a beautiful luminous quality.
You've just completed your residency with JamFactory's Glass Studio. What were some of the inspiring experiences from this time?
Working at the JamFactory Glass Studio has been a fantastic opportunity to work alongside other artists who work with Glass differently from how I do—seeing how these artists were working opened up my mind to new possibilities with how I could work with Glass. As a Glass Artist who works mainly with casting and coldworking, it was fun working in a collaborative team environment in the hot shop. Having assistance from Drew Spangenberg and Glass Associates, Alex Hirst, Calum Donaldson and Carmen Skeehan were vital during my residency as I wouldn't have been able to experiment and explore to the extent I did.
Madisyn in the Hot Glass Studio at JamFactory, 2022. Photo: Connor Patterson.
Madisyn Zabel
Graduating from the Australian National University School of Art & Design with a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Hons) specialising in glass, Madisyn Zabel’s practice investigates the growing dialogue between craft and digital technology. Madisyn has developed her glass skills with organisations across the globe, participating in residencies at Berlin Glas e.V., Canberra Glassworks and the Glass Studio at the Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, USA.
Madisyn was awarded the FUSE Glass Prize - David Henshall Emerging Artist Prize in 2020. Awarded biennially, the prize aims to provide a platform for emerging artists to push themselves and their work to new limits and focuses public attention on the importance of glass as a medium for contemporary artistic expression. Artists will have the opportunity to work from JamFactory’s Glass Studio with skilled assistants during a professional development opportunity, to take risks and experiment with the development of new work.