The Ghost Chandelier commission for the Dowse Art Museum
By Crystal Chain Gang
The Ghost Chandelier, 2022
cast lead crystal glass, pressed and mould blown soda lime glass, stainless steel
This chandelier was commissioned to mark the Dowse Art Museum’s 50th Anniversary celebrations in 2021.
The Dowse is known for its nationally significant collection of Aotearoa studio craft including a number of works in glass. This major piece by Wairarapa-based duo Jim Dennison and Leanne Williams, better known as the Crystal Chain Gang, represents the culmination of their exploration of the chandelier form.
“With The Ghost Chandelier we have wanted to consolidate a theme that has run through our practice for the past 15 years. It is a comment on the ecological loss and extinction of many species at the hands of us humans to fill an insatiable desire for economic gain and developmental superiority.”
Using the chandelier as a supporting structure, the Crystal Chain Gang incorporate elements of native and introduced bird species to highlight the beauty of nature while also subtly hinting at our consumerist tendencies and need for luxury and comfort at any cost.
The Ghost Chandelierincludes references to the huia, tom tit, bell bird, kakariki and other more exotic species. It draws on elements from throughout the pairs career including the incorporation of cast found objects like decanters and figurines alongside bird parts such as wings and feathers. It is a nod to has been before with the hope of change in the future.
“This chandelier allows for ghosts of the past to reappear and capture our current thoughts and emotions - making them shine again.”
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The Ghost Chandelier commission for the Dowse Art Museum
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Crystal Chain Gang
About the
Professional
Chandeliers and Fine Glass hand crafted in Martinborough, New Zealand.
We are Martinborough glass artists Jim Dennison and Leanne Williams. We call ourselves the Crystal Chain Gang because we work with a transformative and beautiful material known as lead crystal and because our approach to glassmaking so often requires damn hard graft.
For more than a decade, we’ve been making objects, we hope, will make onlookers feel, think and appreciate the world in a different way. Our critics say our work is part art, part design and part craft. We say it’s simply our imaginative take on the world. It’s our goal to make objects that are at the same time exotic and local, that speak of today and times past and that take you on a journey by reinventing what you expect to see and experience through the medium of glass.
We’ve won awards and fellowships for our work. We’ve had our work selected for major glass exhibitions at home and overseas. You’ll find Crystal Chain Gang in the Ebeltoft Museum in Denmark, the Museum of Glass in the United States and in New Zealand’s own Te Papa Tongarewa. We’re proud to have work in these places and it’s our ambition to showcase what we do further afield and to keep growing the Crystal Chain Gang’s body of work. Over the past 12 years we have focussed our attention on making chandeliers. These chandeliers have found themselves in both commercial and domestic settings, throughout New Zealand and Australia. We are proud to be 100% New Zealand made, and equality proud of our relationships with our clients as we design and make their chandeliers specific for their environment. We are driven to making glass treasures that are jewels and remain truly unique objects within our clients lives for years to come.
We welcome all enquiries, whether big or small, we make bespoke jewels for you. Welcome aboard.
The Gang,
Leanne Williams and Jim Dennison
- Year founded2018
- ArchiPro Member since2021
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