Bronze Fine Arts and Art Installation Design · 2025
Night Of Celebration Artwork
- A' Design Award 2025 Bronze Winner in Fine Arts and Art Installation Design
- Awarded April 15, 2025
- CLIENT: Derya Geylani
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 29,798
- Verification code 0F6F564CAD · Verify this award
About Night Of Celebration Artwork
Night of Celebration is a wall-mounted glass sculpture. The work joins antique glass goblets with a freely blown glass form. A mold of an antique goblet was pressed onto the heated body, leaving a concave negative imprint on the surface. Hot glass appears to pour from the goblets, suggesting the continuity of tradition through time. After cooling, the form was cut and polished, then coated with a special solution for a pearl effect and baked again. The finished piece measures 430 by 200 by 500 millimeters.
Derya Geylani Vuruşan's Night Of Celebration Artwork engages the rich heritage of studio glass as expressive medium while bringing fresh contemporary sensibility to the timeless subject of celebration and ephemeral joy captured in permanent form. Working within traditions established by the international studio glass movement that emerged in the mid-twentieth century and drawing upon centuries-old Venetian glass-working techniques, the artist demonstrates exceptional technical command of this demanding material, achieving both the saturated chromatic intensity of the cobalt blue oval surround and the delicate translucent quality of the opalescent white central gesture. The compositional achievement resides in the elegant formal economy of the work, which establishes its celebratory narrative through minimal elements arranged with sophisticated spatial intelligence: the containing oval functions simultaneously as frame, stage, and chromatic foil, while the central splash gesture requires no additional context to communicate its exuberant message. The chromatic relationship proves particularly successful, as the deep ultramarine blue creates an atmospheric nocturnal setting that amplifies the luminous quality of the white splash, suggesting moonlight, starlight, or the particular radiance of evening festivities when artificial illumination transforms gathered spaces into theaters of celebration. The technical facility evident in the frozen splash gesture represents considerable mastery, as capturing liquid fluidity in solid glass requires precise timing, temperature control, and intimate understanding of how molten glass behaves during the brief window when it transitions from workable viscosity to permanent form. The work invites consideration within the broader context of how artists across centuries have sought to arrest ephemeral moments, from Baroque sculptors capturing fabric mid-flutter to modernist photographers freezing motion through rapid exposure, yet glass brings unique material properties to this eternal artistic challenge: its transparency, luminosity, and capacity to both transmit and transform light create effects unavailable in opaque media. The oval format suggests both theatrical proscenium and intimate viewing portal, inviting observers to witness this arrested moment of celebration as though peering into a preserved instant removed from temporal flow. The nocturnal palette evokes evening festivities, starlit toasts, or the particular quality of celebration that occurs when darkness frames illuminated gathering spaces, while the splash gesture itself carries archetypal associations with abundance, overflow, generosity, and the exuberant excess that characterizes genuine festivity. The work demonstrates how contemporary glass artists continue to explore their medium's unique capacity to capture and hold light, creating objects that serve as vessels not merely in functional sense but as containers for metaphor, emotion, and contemplative encounter. One might observe how the piece transforms the momentary physics of liquid splash into permanent poetry, inviting viewers to consider how artistic practice can crystallize fleeting experiences of joy into lasting forms that continue to radiate their celebratory energy long after the original moment has passed into memory.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- It is a unique work of art in which antique glass goblets representing the past and hot glass that seems to be pouring from them are embedded in a blown form. A section of the body prepared with the hot glass blowing technique was heated and the mold of the antique goblet was pressed onto the heated section and the negative of the antique goblet was obtained on the glass body.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- 430 mm x 200 mm x 500 mm
- Tags
- Glass, Art, Contemporary Glass, Glass Sculpture
- Production Technology
- The mold of the antique glass to be used in the work is pressed on the form that is blown freely with the hot glass blowing technique and a concave projection is created on the surface of the form. Then the blown form is taken to the cooling oven. After it cools, the cutting and polishing process is carried out and the surface is painted with a special solution for the pearl effect and the baking process is carried out again. Finally, the processed form is glued together with the antique glass and the splash form and exhibited by hanging on the wall.
- Design Challenge
- The challenging aspect of creating the artwork lies in the precision and control required during the glassblowing process. The glass must be carefully heated to the right temperature to ensure it is malleable but not too soft. Pressing the antique goblet mold onto the heated glass requires impeccable timing and accuracy, as even the slightest variation in temperature or pressure can affect the final imprint. Achieving a perfect negative of the antique goblet on the glass body demands skillful craftsmanship and a deep understanding of both the material and the technique.
- Project Duration
- The making process started in November 2024 and finished in December 2024. and exhibited in Contemporary Istanbul Art Fair Turkey
- Operation Flow
- This object operates through a delicate glassblowing process, where molten glass is carefully shaped and molded. Its transformation occurs as the glass cools and solidifies, capturing the imprint of antique goblets. The interaction happens as the heated glass is pressed against the mold, creating unique imprints. Key frames include the heating, shaping, and cooling stages. The meticulous control of temperature and pressure ensures a precise result, enhancing both the craftsmanship and the visual impact of the piece.
- Research
- The design research for this project is experimental and exploratory in nature. The primary objective was to blend historical craftsmanship with contemporary glassblowing techniques. The methodology involved analyzing traditional glass-making methods, followed by practical experimentation to merge antique forms with modern designs. Data was collected through trial and error, observing the effects of temperature, pressure, and mold shaping. Insights revealed a fusion of past and present can evoke emotional and cultural connections. This research impacts design by encouraging innovation within traditional craftsmanship, influencing both artistic and commercial fields by preserving heritage while embracing modernity.
- Inspiration
- In the work titled Night of Celebration, I have drawn upon the inspiration from my earlier series, An, seeking to transform and elevate this concept by imbuing each blown form with the ethereal qualities of clouds, inspired by the sky. The underlying inspiration for A Night of Celebration is a desire to bridge the gap between past and present through the timeless medium of glass. The antique goblets symbolize a connection to history, evoking memories of past celebrations, rituals, and the craftsmanship of earlier generations. The molten glass flowing from these historical objects signifies the ongoing continuity of tradition, while simultaneously embracing the fluidity and transformation inherent in the present. This work reflects my exploration of the interplay between time, history, and material, resulting in a piece that harmoniously blends the old with the new, rooted in the past yet infused with contemporary relevance.
- Image Credits
- Photographer of the Main Image and Optional images is Derya Geylani Vurusan
- Patents
- Copyrights belong to Derya Geylani Vurusan