An Invitation That Might Break | Kirsten Southwell
An Invitation That Might Break, Kirsten Southwell (Chicago, IL)
November 2017. Found chair, soldered broken glass, steel armature, copper foil.
An Invitation That Might Break challenges attitudes about function and exposure of vulnerability. Replacing the seat with a repurposed glass assemblage, Southwell repaired a museum chair with the intention of retaining its function.
After sorting through the piles of broken furniture in the collection mirroring her own “loneliness and emotional longing,” Southwell deconstructed the chair and designed a new seat using broken glass from the collection soldered into a single stained glass piece.
The finished sculpture is an invitation for audiences to sit, prompting reflection on vulnerability and interaction. Will participants sit boldly or gently? The longevity of the chair will show the literal impact of participant interactions with cracks that form within the glass seat.
Support from Sunshine Art Studio in Stokesdale, NC and The Forge: Greensboro Makerspace. Special thanks to Steve T.
Process:
