A unique event enables glass artists and fashion designers from across the island to collaborate on the most surprising material you can wear – glass!
This exhibition of wearable glass is brought to NI craft audiences by the Glass Society of Ireland, in collaboration with The Council of Irish Fashion Designers, and will take place at Craft NI Gallery, Belfast. The show is aimed at addressing gender equality, diversity and inclusion through exploring glass as a wearable material for all.
The exhibition will feature 20 glass artists and fashion designers showing collaborative and individual pieces which include glass bags, millinery, dresses and jewellery.
Showcasing the unexpected potential of glass and fashion, the participating artists use their skills not only to make, but to question the gender bias and champion inclusion: expect hot topics, hard truths, thought-provoking reflections and an unyielding focus on what beauty, gender and equality mean to different people.
The industry term “Glass Runway” refers to gender inequality which touches many arms of society. The GSoI and CIFD wish to encourage a dialog on inequality, diversity and inclusion by exploring themes through this exhibition inspiring new ideas and statement pieces in this exclusive collaboration. The exhibition is the first of its kind in Ireland and a first cross border collaboration between the two representative agencies.
Partnerships between Irish fashion designers and glass artists include: Helen Hayes & Killian Schurmann; Aoife Harvey (NI) & Madeleine Hellier; Sarah Ward-Hendry & Róisín de Buitléar; Silvana Landa & Eleanor-Jane McCartney (NI); Ejay Griffin & Angela Brady, Sarah Foy & Alison Lowry (NI), Noema Damaris & Jennifer Butler.
Participating glass artists are: Meadhbh McIlgorm (NI), Kathryna Cuschieri, Ana Surdu, Maggie Napier (NI), Ruzica Ruane and Helen Hancock (NI).
‘A show dedicated to addressing gender inequality, diversity and inclusion by using glass as a wearable material for all made its catwalk debut this week. Held at The MAC Belfast on Tuesday (4th June 2024), a live fashion show kicked off the Glass Runway exhibition, which runs from June 6 until July 25 at Belfast’s Craft NI Gallery. As part of an initiative led by The Council of Irish Fashion Designers and The Glass Society of Ireland, 20 creatives from across Ireland teamed up for the project, including five based in Northern Ireland.’ (Belfast Telegraph)
