The Glass Heart

This bold new exploration of glass in the UK brought together for the very first time rarely seen works from key UK collections, celebrating this remarkable material – unforgiving, fragile, strong, sustainable.

The Glass Heart made visitors think again about glass as it explored how it has illuminated and contained human narratives and ideas.

Beginning in the mid-19th century, and plotting key moments through the UK’s glassmaking history, glass was presented as an experimental art form for today alongside work from those collections that have grown out of the heartlands of a historic industry.  Expressive and amorphic from the initial molten state of its formation, to the reflective and light-transmitting qualities of its final form, dazzling artworks shone a light on some of the now endangered traditions of working in glass.

Visitors joined us as we celebrated makers who have pushed at the boundaries of this remarkably expressive medium.  Through 170 years of glassmaking, we investigated the artistry, ingenuity and innovation needed to work with this challenging material and examined how glass-making skills in the UK have evolved to contain and express stories, from historic marvels to contemporary works finding new relevance today.

The exhibition was conceived and curated by curator and writer Antonia Harrison.

The Glass Heart was a Two Temple Place exhibition, produced in partnership with Stourbridge Glass Museum, Stained Glass Museum, Ely and National Glass Centre Sunderland.