Client: City of Dresden

Overview

This commission chandelier was created for City of Dresden, Germany, more specifically the Lingner Castle on the River Elbe. It was made in tribute to a father and son team from Dresden. They, in 1886-92 created 2000 glass specimens for the Harvard student in the department of Botany. These glass masterpieces eventually found a permanent home in The Harvard Museum of Natural History. The chandelier is 8 foot in diameter and weighs 900 pounds. It is lit with LEDS and hangs from a dome. It was created in celebration of the 100 year anniversary of castle.

Goals

The integration goals were really basic. Once the commission project was awarded for me to create this chandelier, the concept came from seeing a few Blashka flowers at the Corning Museum of Glass. I met with the project Manager, Board of Directors and Mayor of Dresden, they loved the concept and created concept boards of the material finishes and interior colors that would work with my design and the language of the chandelier. I used the same glass forms and techniques used a hundred years ago by the father and son team and accented it with peach tree blossoms that grow on the lawn of the Castle. This peach wine also inspired the color usage.

Process

The collaboration is this fabulous project was really between the spirit of the Blashka's and myself. The mayor gave me 100% control of the project and since the thesis was really about creating a chandelier that if the Blashkas were still alive, they would give back to the city where they were born. The efforts to understand this took me to Boston several times where I spent hours drawing in the museum of Natural History in an effort to try and understand. I wanted to honor the techniques and forms used to educate the botany students of the late 1800's.