How might historical decorative pattern structures, developed through the appropriation of the ancient glass technique of Murrini, be used to investigate identity and the migration of decorative idiom?

To explore this question, three patterns of historical significance, each from a different situation and culture, have been selected for three case studies. The first case study explores a Moorish pattern from the Alhambra in Spain that was document by Owen Jones and named Moresque Number 4. The second case study explores Paisley, a fabric pattern developed in Iran and India before being appropriated by western manufacturers. The pattern for the third case study has not yet been identified and will be chosen in response to questions arising from the two patterns currently being explored. Each case study will take the pattern from its origin and its subsequent historical applications, through the process of glass Murrini, an appropriated method of production, into artwork that explores the structure, history and identity of that pattern. The project’s central question will be researched through an exploration of the migratory path of each pattern, the act of appropriation involved in the process of making new work, and by the content and context of the artworks.

The traditional Italian glass technique of Murrini will allow the work created to explore, hybridize and juxtapose each pattern, also allowing for the creation of new patterns through its unique artistic concerns. The Murrini technique has traditional been used to create vessels but for this research it will be employed for its pattern developing capacity alone. This will be achieved with glass panels and objects that focus on layering to explore structure and new pattern potential. Each pattern will also be explored by research into its earlier production methods, both in its earliest known cultural application and its subsequent adaptations. These investigations will be combined with making methods such as photography, painting, drawing and sculpture to produce artworks that engage with the research question through object and installation.

The original contribution of this project resides in the innovative use of glass, and in particular the glass technique of Murrini, which has never been exploited to explore the history of pattern in this way. The Murrini technique is a method of production that can create adaptable, repetitive modular patterns with colour, depth, scale and unlimited variations in structure. Murrini involves heating up and stretching blocks of glass, usually in rod or cane form, arranged in designs, which become very small when repeatedly stretched. These stretched blocks can then be cut up to form mosaic tiles. Developed by the Greeks and Egyptians, the Murrini technique was originally used for creating fused mosaic bowls. The Glassblowers of Murano adapted the technique in the 15th century and have been using it ever since. This tradition prompted Australian glass artists Giles Bettison and Scott Chaseling to appropriate and adapt the technique using sheet glass, over the last two decades. This has been further refined in my research to date, using sheet glass to create consistent repeatable multiple element pattern structures, along with new methods of fusing and hot-working to create layering and explore new structures.

The life of a pattern is restless, migrating between cultures and continents, shifting mediums and context as required by its application. The development of technique is also subject to changing conditions, provided by alterations in the material, new technical knowledge and the creation of new outcomes. The repetitive motifs produced with Murrini hold a close relationship to other forms of pattern work providing a new medium with which to appropriate each case studies pattern. Along side this, the Murrini technique must be adapted to create and reinvent each case studies pattern. Within the artwork of this project, these two actions, which create the dual forces of change that dictate the life of a pattern, will be used to investigate the migration of each pattern.