The GLASS Quarterly Hot Sheet

video of creation of auctioned piece, Joe Mangrum’s Asynchronous Syntropy; LED paint and covered sand (which my guest astutely referred to as “pre-glass”)

The Museum of Arts and Design hosted a swanky bash last Thursday dedicated to two of New York City’s favourite things: young, hip, rich art devotees and L.E.D. lights. True story. You can see the second of these semi-modern marvels affixed to the front and back wheels of, well, the young, hip, and rich art devotees’ single speed bikes as they tear through Manhattan at 2 a.m. Since coming to commercial prominence about a decade ago (although their uses in science have been known and utilized for the past several decades) light emitting diodes have of course worked their way into the art and design milieu. Scattered throughout the shindig, which covered at least 7 floors of the museum, were silent auction pieces showcasing the brilliance of the energy efficient lighting system and the ingenuity of designers of lamps, tables, chandeliers and dresses. The ambitiously fashion minded moved seamlessly between floors, in skirts laced with strings of LED’s or, more simply, the chic lady in the all white, sleeveless pantsuit paired with an LED headband that artists can often be seen wearing when engaged in an intricate design process, repairing a faulty bike chain or spelunking.

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4 exhibition floors were open for the event, and this photographer took full advantage of the crowded dance floor, VIP lounge, and top floor restaurant to scour the near empty galleries for the best glass pieces from the collections:  ”Hanging Around: Necklaces from the MAD Collection,” “Glasstress New York: New Art from the Venice Biennales,” and “Swept Away: Dust, Ashes, and Dirt in Contemporary Design.”

all images by the author

-Katharine Morales