Glass creations to take centre stage at festival

The team at the Ruskin Glass Centre has begun the careful process of unwrapping more than 60 delicate pieces that make up the entries in it's flagship event - the British Glass Biennale.

Sixty-two contemporary artists based in Britain and working abroad were selected for the competition from around 230 applicants.

Their prized creations have been descending on the town ready to take pride of place for the awards ceremony on August 24.

Each box of glass is unwrapped and documented so that it can be delivered back to the artist or its new owner in the same condition that it arrived.

The first to be taken out of the crate was St. Helens ii, 2017 - a piece of kilncast glass created by London-based artist Joseph Harrington.

He uses salt to sculpt ice as a one-off ephemeral model to take a direct cast from.

At the moment, the team is busy building the display plinths for the glass before some artists arrive to fit their installations.

Curator Matt Durran said it was vital to work slowly when handling the glass and setting up the exhibition. "It's all about staying calm. If you get stressed, you put stress on the glass and that is no good for anybody. If you rush, the glass gods will hurt you.

"We are still awaiting 10 artworks and several have arrived without names so those will be a surprise when we open them," he said.

The main prize winners will be announced at the ceremony on August 24.

"The Biennale is a really good representation of the best of British glass and is highly regarded around the world," said Mr Durran.

There are also several voting categories including the Young Collector's Award which see youngsters select their favourite artwork.

The names of all of the voters are put in a hat and the one pulled out receives a piece of glass to start off their own collection.

All work in the Biennale is available for purchase and the event attracts collectors, galleries and museums from around the world.

For the first time, there will also be a Biennale shop allowing visitors to purchase a smaller piece created by artists in the exhibition, ranging in prize from a few pounds up to £2,000.

Mr Durran said: "At the last Biennale, a lot of people said they weren't in a position to buy a really expensive piece of glass so this gives them the chance to purchase a smaller piece by the same artist."

Visitors can view the exhibition until September 9. The International Festival of Glass runs from August 25 to 28