Artist in Residence - Carrie Fertig - Flameworker

Carrie Fertig at work

Carrie Fertig is artist in residence in the Cathedral for the month of February.  This has been organised in collaboration with West Dean College.

You can see Carrie at work, during February, from 11am - 1pm & 2pm - 4pm, Monday to Friday in the Cathedral's north transept.

She will be doing workshops with schools on 7th and 9th February, and a half-term Family Activity on Wednesday 23rd February from 10.30am - 12.30pm.  No booking required - just turn up.  Children must be accompanied by an adult.  Click her for further information on this activity.

Later in the year (probably October 2011) the results of her residency will be suspended right above the North Transept.  This temporary installation will consist of a pair of glass wings.  The individual feathers that comprise the wings are flameworked glass.  All together, outstretched, approximately four hundred feathers will form an eight metre pair of dove wings, at a scale intended for flight for the human body.

The technique of flameworking Carrie will be using is the same type of glass-making as is used for chemistry laboratory ware and bead making.  Cold glass rods and tubes are heated up in the flame and can be manipulated and blown in tiny or large segments.  The glass is placed in the kiln on the left, heated and slowly allowed to cool to take the strain out of the glass to prevent it from cracking or shattering.  This process is called annealing and once annealed, the glass can be worked on for days on end, allowing the construction of very large, complicated pieces.

Beginning as a metalsmith in 1986, Carrie branched out into stone-carving in 1995 and took up hot glass in 2004.  Very quickly she changed allegiance to flameworked glass, a technique usually associated with small-scale work.  Carrie uses this technique on a large scale to several ends: to impact and heighten the experience of the site of the work; to involve as many disparate groups in as many creative ways as possible in the research, making or bringing to fruition of a piece; and providing an enticing and encouraging environment for participants' own narratives.

Carrie's work explores connection and disconnection.  Her research and oft times the work itself usually involves input from others in some manner, from interviews to collaborative performance.  Recently she founded a flameworking performance group called Torcher Chamber Arkestra.  Comprised of an international team of flameworkers from neon, bead, and sculptural backgrounds, they use flameworking, dance, music and pyrotechnics to bring the technique of flameworking to a wider audience in innovative, exciting performances involving the audience in new methods of engagement.

Carrie was born in New York State and moved to Britain in 2003.  She resides in Edinburgh, Scotland where she attended Edinburgh College of Art.  Her work is in the permanent collections of Broadfield House Glass Museum, The Roslin Institute, Perth Museum and Art Gallery, and North Lands Creative Glass.

Learn more about Carrie Fertig's work at www.carriefertig.com.  If you would like to find out more about West Dean College see www.westdean.org.uk