NEONJUL
This year, the theme of S12s annual Christmas exhibition is Neonjul (Neon xmas). The exhibition takes an entry point from experimental glass art of glowing neon-objects staged in S12s gallery.
The exhibition aims to shine a light on a material by giving the audience a visual experience of objects often associated with public space. By showing art where neon is a vital element, S12 wishes to provide space to an expression which in Norway is often overlooked.
The exhibition is an important continuation of a workshop focusing on shaping neon, where Richard Wheater and Julia Bickerstaff (UK) have provided artists from different backgrounds an insight into the glowing science of neon. The workshops were held the last week of October, and during B-Open. The educational part of the project was supported by Norwegian Crafts.
About the artists:
Richard Wheater (b. 1978, UK) is a (glass)artist who has focused on using neon in his practice. Weather has built the workshop “Neon Workshops” in Yorkshire, where he offers courses shaping neon to artists in collaboration with Julia Bickerstaff. His later projects include a specially designed, mobile glass kiln, with which he undertook a lengthier performance project in the UK. The project consisted of blowing birds of glass at different locations in England, which he then “released” back into the wild, resulting in a book and several exhibitions documenting the project.
Keith Brocklehurst (b. 1946, UK) uses different glass techniques to express his observations and comments to our contemporary times. His work is inspired by wisdom, artifacts and stories from ancient cultures, and brings us back in contact with the natural world. Brocklehurst is a glass artist of international importance, and his works have been acquired by large collections such as the Victoria & Albert Museum, Tate Modern, Corning Museum of Glass and Musee de Design and d’Arts Appliques Contemporains.
Julia Bickerstaff (UK) has a background creating technical neon signs, and the last couple of years has been working in close collaboration with Wheater teaching artists the technical science behind shaping glass tubes into neonworks, as well as designing her own projects. We wish to highlight Bickerstaff’s own designs in combination with her extreme technical skillset, by being the first gallery showcasing her works.
Giving voice to the material.
There is a commonality in artists working with neon seldom having hands-on experience with the material, process and the physical creation of the work. The craft going into shaping tubes into signs, drawing or object while enduring intense heat in flames, or the bombardment of the glass with different gasses to achieve color and later on light during electrification is all parts of knowledge slowly disappearing. As a gallery and workshop with a strong material focus, we wish to provide artists and audiences with the experience of works created in close dialogue with glass, the material of which the objects are made.
S12 through the exhibition seeks to showcase the use of neon in arts and crafts. The exhibition aims to educate, make visible and raise awareness about an expression which for many generations have been an important element of shaping our cities.
Through Neonjul we want to use this valuable knowledge to show works that inspire, push limits and hold a high standard.
S12 is curating the exhibition in collaboration with Richard Wheater. S12 is an artist-run workshop for glass and ceramic within the fields of art and design in Bergen.
Within the field of glass, the artists in S12 have specialized in several techniques. This includes blowing, casting, sand casting, fusing, slumping, cutting and polishing glass. Through work-, course-, and educational experiences we have established a broad network of contacts which makes it possible to stay updated on the development within the field both in Norway and abroad.