Cambridge 7th to 9th September
Presenting Author:
Inge Panneels
<inge.panneels@sunderland.ac.uk>
article posted 26 Feb 2015
Inge Panneels
Inge Panneels (MDes) (BA Hons) is an artist and academic with an interest in
mapping as a visual language and construction methods of a sense of place and
how maps can be used as metaphors.
She is a part-time Senior Lecturer with specialism in kiln and architectural glass
techniques. Her research interest is based around the use of maps and mapping in
art in context of site-specific works.
Inge has over 15 years of experience as a freelance artist working to commission;
clients include British Telecom, NHS, Scottish Executive, Lloyds TSB. Her work
has been exhibited internationally and can be found in the Ebeltoft Glass Museum,
Museum of Liverpool and Belfius collection, Brussels.
Blue Marble
Inge Panneels
Senior Lecturer, National Glass Centre, University of Sunderland, Liberty Way, Sunderland SR6 0GL
The role of glass has been fundamental to the development of science in the West and it has been argued that it has been the use, and knowledge of glass - through access to experienced glass makers in the West, which has lead to the hegemony of western science, ultimately overtaking China whose scientific knowledge at the time far exceeded the West. Glass makers could make the glass lenses needed for microscopic research and for subsequent telescopes which lead to the groundbreaking discoveries and understanding of the stars, the use of glass rod as an accurate measuring stick for the first OS maps, the use of glass as laboratory equipment, the use of glass in communication glass fibre cables, and glass based materials of which the space shuttle was constructed.
In 2018, it will be the 50th anniversary of the first making of the film
Powers of Ten by designer and artist couple Ray and Charles Eames. This was ahead of its time in visualising the correlation between the microscopic and the macroscopic (such as micro biology, quantum physics, astronomy ...). It is also the anniversary of the first Moon landing in December 1968; an exploration, which had huge cultural impact, captured in the 'apollonian' worldview, embodied by the Blue Marble image. Light and glass were key factors in this.
Glass is of course also a great material through which to explore artistic ideas and as such has been the material of material of choice for many art and science collaborations. The case studies of various artists' work of will be used as a vehicle to demonstrate how glass has been used effectively in an artist-scientist collaboration.