Left:
Opposite:
M a te r ia l C u ltu re
,
B rid e
, 2010, glass,
installation and detail,
mixed media,
2008, glass, wood,
112 x 91 x 73 in.
mixed media,
69 x 45 x 42 in.
The objects that make up
Bride
descend with painful
inevitability from order to chaos, poignantly expressing
our desire for perfection and control, whether the
context is a wedding, a household, or a marriage itself.
Ironically, Lipman’s most direct engagement with the dynamics
of material possession may be her 2008 Still Life collection for
Steuben Glass, which doesn’t include a single vessel. The 30 lus-
cious pieces in this collection, from pineapple to poppy capsule,
can be “owned” in a way that her sculpture and photographs can-
not, arranged and recombined to suit the purchaser’s whim. Their
discreteness and solidity contrast powerfully with the evanescent
quality of Lipman’s studio work; despite their formal elegance,
they flirt with kitsch. In taking on this commission, Lipman quietly
underscored the fact that even her most ambitious installations
are also—like these designs for Steuben—objects of desire to be
coveted, evaluated, bought and sold.
Many of Lipman’s first still life works paid close tribute to par-
ticular paintings, and were framed in cast glass or cupboard-like
wooden shelves. She often chose compositions centered on delicately
suspended dead birds, rendering them in funereal black and milky
white glass. While true to the original images—the most extravagant
feature shockingly lavish displays of fresh-killed game—contempo-
rary squeamishness lent these pieces a distractingly macabre
aspect. By shifting to the more neutral territory of the banquet table,
Lipman created space for a subtler commentary on present-day
consumer culture and our relationship with objects. She also began
ratcheting up the scale of her pieces.
Bancketje,
2003, was a defining
moment—at 20 feet long, this massive laid table incorporates hun-
dreds of vessels, fruits, cheeses and other items. Its size alone deep-
ens her statement, and the outrageous ostentation of its contents,
slopping over the edge of the table and threatening to collapse,
would be comical if it weren’t so alarming—or so jaw-droppingly
gorgeous. Making the 400-plus elements in
Bancketje
also required
help, and a lot of glue.
Glue is anathema in many glassblowing circles, but Lipman is
no purist. For
Material Culture
, 2009, she recalls, “I basically took
all the forms I had in my studio and glued them together.” Similarly,
Lipman is not terribly concerned with being a virtuoso. “I love
the physicality of glassblowing and the intimacy of working with
a team, but I’ve never been an amazing technician,” she insists.
“At some point I surrendered the illusion that I would be a master
craftsperson.” In assembling
Bancketje,
Lipman found that having
others involved in making the work gave it a subtle diversity that
quickened its effect. She relishes relinquishing control, within
limits. Her installations have become more spontaneous over the
years, and she often works out the details of a composition in situ.
“It’s a lot like working in the hot shop,” Lipman says. “Failure is
part of the process, and it’s very public.” While this way of work-
ing can be nerve-racking, it infuses her grander projects with bra-
vado and a touching vulnerability.
In the same spirit, Lipman’s approach to working glass is re-
markably loose and fluid. Her vessels and foodstuffs have a slightly
tipsy air, a sort of wobble that brilliantly captures the exuberant
thrill of social risk. The resulting installations are eerily still yet
reverberate with the mad, lurching imprint of the events they
describe. The first glass has been spilled, and a squirrel scampers >
040 american craft junc/july io
www.WorldMags.net & www.Journal-Plaza.net
M a teria l C ulture
and
B rid e
photos Eva Heyd, courtesy o f Heller Gallery.
