R E V I E W E D
A
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e r n s f t e i n :
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T r a v e r G a lle r y
S e a ttle , w a
June 4 —27,20 10
tra v e rg a lle ry .c o m
B y R o n G lo w e n
L i t e r a l l y e d g y , t h e r a w g r i n d m a r k s a n d
a b r a s i o n s p o w e r f u l l y s u g g e s t a r a n g e o f n a t u r a l
a n d m e t a p h o r i c a l f o r m s a n d f o r c e s , f r o m t h e
w i n g s o f a n a n g e l t o d o e c r e v a s s e s o f a g l a c i e r
Left:
Castaway Divide,
2010, cast and cut
glass, 36 x 14 x 4 in.
D ra m a tic a lly lit in a d ark and c a v e rn o u s
g a lle r y sp a c e , th e ca st g la ss sc u lp tu re s b y
th e N o rth C a ro lin a a rtist A le x G a b rie l
B e rn ste in fig u ra tiv e ly and p h y s ic a lly e v o k e
th e fu n dam en tal d ich o to m y o f a v e rtic a l
stru ctu re—th e d esire to so ar and th e e a rth ly
pu ll o f g ra v ity .
“ C o n te m p la tiv e R e d u c tio n ,” B e rn ste in ’s
e x h ib itio n at th e T r a v e r G a lle ry , finds its
stre n g th in th e co n sid e ra tio n o f m ass and
m o v e m e n t in each o f th e 10 fre e stan d in g
p ie ce s, w ith a b it o f th e in h e re n t d ilem m a
o f th e se o p p o sin g fo r c e s in se v e ra l w a ll-
m o u n te d w o r k s c o m p o se d o f a sim p le
tra n sp a re n t g la ss sh ap e (o rb o r c y lin d e r)
m o u n ted in fro n t o f an acid -etch e d and
p atin aed m etal p late.
C a st g lass is a d en se and o b d u rate m a te-
rial. B e rn ste in at first co n stru cts his form s
u sin g c le a r and tin te d tra n sp a re n t glass.
H e p o lish e s th e g la ss su rfa c e to a rtic u la te
its g e o m e tric a l p u rity , and th e n , in a fe a t
o f stru ctu ra l and p h y sic a l b ra v a d o , re p e a t-
e d ly m akes h e a v y cu ts in to th e glass w ith
a la rg e and w id e c irc u la r d ia m o n d -tip p e d
sa w b lad e. T h e cu ts are g e n e ra lly p arallel
034 american craft oct/nov 10
