Liquid Sunshine

Last week, I listened to Japanese artist and educator Rui Sasaki as she unveiled her Rakow Commission at the Corning Museum of Glass at a Behind the Glass lecture. The installation is in a darkened room with hundreds of rain drops made from phosphorescent glass suspended over a polished floor.

The CMoG website gives you some information on Rui and her interests:

“Deprived of sunshine in one of the rainiest regions in Japan, Sasaki began to develop artworks—like her Rakow Commission piece—that capture the light. In her Behind The Glass lecture, Sasaki will discuss the development of her work, the evolution of her career, and her endeavor to capture the sun. Sasaki uses an array of materials in addition to glass, including resin, ice, light, and performance, to highlight subtle aspects of everyday life. Liquid Sunshine/I am a Pluviophile is a room-sized installation which distills Sasaki’s interest in weather. The commission consists of more than 200 blown glass “raindrops,” each embedded with small dots of phosphorescent material that absorb simulated sunlight."

And, Sasaki’s installation is the first of 100 works that will be included in New Glass Now, which opens in May. Congratulations to Suzie Silbert!