Crystal Chain Gang: In Flux

Beautiful and precarious, the Crystal Chain Gang’s newest sculpture is a reinterpretation of a traditional Venetian, glass-blown chandelier.

This work has been made using techniques that originate on the island of Murano, which is famous for its glass production. However, the elegant, uniform beads we might expect to see on a chandelier are switched with pastel coloured, organic forms and a structure that looks more like a viral cell than an ornate lighting fixture.

In Flux is a response to the Crystal Chain Gang’s research trip to Italy in late 2019. Drawing on associations that chandeliers have with history, wealth and power, the artists’ highlight the uneasy tension between the economy and health: addressing the uncertainty we all face during the current global pandemic.

Crystal Chain Gang: In Flux is curated by Sian van Dyk and supported by Creative New Zealand and goodeye design.

Artist Talk: 28 November