Niamh Reynolds - University of Wolverhampton

Níamh Reynolds

Course BA (Hons) Glass and Ceramics
njreynolds02@gmail.com
https://www.instagram.com/njr.glass/

"I have always had an interest in glass: from a young age, I would collect glass figurines as a child, and once I was older, I looked for an opportunity to work with glass. I enjoy working with processes that use fine motor skills because it captivates my focus. Glass, especially hot glass, is the perfect material for this. There is no end to the possibilities of what you can create, and I have enjoyed experimenting, understanding and learning more about the material every time I use it. My goal is to evoke an emotional reaction through my glasswork. I want people to find comfort in my glass pieces and relate it to their lives. I believe it is important to hold sentimental value in inanimate objects – it is beneficial to enjoy the little things in life. To some, glass pieces like mine are just dust gathers. But others might see one of my robins and be reminded of their mother, father, grandmother or other loved ones that have passed away. If I can inspire fond memories or help ease someone's grieving process, I will have completed my goal."

The purpose of The Three Robins is to act as a vessel of comfort to those grieving. Created by glass, the delicate nature of the exhibition is a reminder of how fragile life is. While having enough ambiguity for the viewer to empathise with their own experiences of loss, The Three Robins are three victims of murders on West Midland Canals.

The Lent Child:
Beneath the Wryley and Essington Canal map lies a glass baby, the size of an 11-12 week-old foetus, sound asleep in a Moses basket, floating along wildflowers fused in pieces of shattered glass.
The Infectious Smile:
Wildflowers bloom from the deadliest part of a glass knife carefully laid at the foot of the Shropshire Union Canal map.
The Motiveless:
A glass fist breaks through and scatters the glass wildflowers below the Worcester and Birmingham Canal Map.

With each small shrine, a robin can be found. Stylised and naïve by nature, the robins leave a soft sign for those left behind that they never truly left. The robin has a subtle intertwining shimmer of gold and blood-red colour as the robin and the victim’s soul are now one.

Even though I am dealing with a dark subject matter, I wanted to remain integral to the serene and peaceful nature of the canal. The Three Robins symbolises the emotions after the fact of murder rather than fixating on gruesome terror. I have been inspired by spontaneous memorials after unexpected deaths to bring together my installation. I used old wooden posts from my garden to create the signposts for my decal glass maps. On these posts are robins; these robins are not a flock of birds. They are other people forever trapped on the canal. These souls chose the privacy of the canal as their final resting place or were forced to remain and keep vigil like my victims. Working with glass in liquid form allowed more freedom to create their curious postures, each one’s personality whispering a story.