Muqarna Illuminated

Mark Hursty is an internationally acclaimed glass artist doing research at the International Institute for Research in Glass at the National Glass Centre in Sunderland UK. In this project, he produced a system for sculptural glass installations inspired by mould-pressed glass techniques and specific elements from Islamic architecture, called muqarna – ornate stalactite-vaulted ceilings. Using digitally-manufactured moulds, he transformed molten glass into sculptural components, the goal being that once assembled these muqarna could be used in mixed sculptural and electronic media installations.

Mark worked with Attaya Projects to experiment with electronically illuminating the muqarna in an interactive way, using a DMX light set-up powered by garageCUBE‘s MadLight.

These experiments with transmitted and reflected light were inspired by traditional muqarna “as tangible metaphors for celestial light and spiritual communication”, as one potential source of communication in future artworks.

Mark Hursty

Mark Hursty was a 2011-12 Fulbright Fellow and spent 16 months researching contemporary glass art across China and Hong Kong. He is currently based in the UK but continues to exhibit work in China including at the Shanghai Museum of Glass. In the early 2000’s, Hursty apprenticed at studios in Venice. He established Hurstin Studio Glass and Metal in Massachusetts in 1999.