Artist Statement
Louis Thompson's recent body of glass work is concerned with ideas of repetition, sequence and multiples. In part, this is stemmed from a long-term fascination with the idea of collections: multiples that record and archive history. The medical apparatus to the scientific aesthetic of research, inquiry and experimentation have proved to be a rich source of inspiration. The tradition of the glass vessel is a continuing reference point for his ideas, exploring the function of containment and confinement and looking at the relationship between exterior and interior spaces. These pieces express a sense of volume, weight, and ambiguity, are they solid or liquid, full or empty.
He has a particular interest in distorting and sabotaging the objects by carefully creasing and collapsing the pieces in a particular way during the making process. The pieces begin as very controlled forms but end up as more spontaneous, organic works. Louis has a particular interest in producing groups and collections of objects and so placement, arrangement and composition play an integral part of his creative process.
Louis Thompson creates collections of objects where the dialogue and relationship between each element is as essential as the collective composition. Memories of his presence and his physical actions, sometimes are fundamental in how he explores scale, composition and material quality. His pieces pose questions about the material and the idea of function, constantly playing with the viewers' perception to examine what is real and not real.
CV & Education
Qualifications and training
2011 - MA Ceramics and Glass, Royal College of Art, London
Solo exhibitions
2011 - Recent Works, Robert Phillips Gallery, Riverhouse Arts Centre, Walton on Thames
Group exhibitions
2011 - Breathtaking: New Wave of British Glass Blowing, Crafts Council, National Touring Exhibition
2010 - International Exhibition of Glass Kanazawa 2010, Notojima Glass Art Museum, Japan
2010 - Making Sense: Craft and the Mind, Flow Gallery, London
Site specific
2010 - Out of Practice: permanent installation, Siobhan Davies Dance studios, London
2009 - Einfall: site specific works, Sigmund Freud Museum, London