Sainsbury’s Central Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
Address
J Sainsbury’s, 799 Witan Gate, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire MK9 2FWRecommended by
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A 500 square metre glass façadeArtist, maker and date
Mel Howse with Derix Glasstudios, 2008Reason for highlighting
A project that not only pushed the boundaries of enamelling on glass with vitreous enamels, but also challenges us to think about the role of stained glass in the modern built environment. The project works both from a distance and close by, with the feel also changing to reflect different times of day.
Artist/maker notes
Mel Howse (b.1968) is a British glass artist and graduate of the Swansea School. As a student, and throughout her career, she has won numerous awards for her work as contemporary designer, maker, and for the contribution her art has made to heritage.
Her versatile and ambitious portfolio includes stained glass, vitreous enamels on steel, and progressive industrial pieces using toughened glass, in her quest for individual and inspiring aesthetics.
She continually re-evaluates the opportunities presented by glass as a creative architectural medium, within installed commissions for public art.
Mel’s work focuses on the nature of a piece, aiming for completeness of vision, and spirit of place, with every commission its own world in terms of innovation, purpose, symbolism or form.
Source: Mel Howse website
Derix Glasstudios, Taunusstein, Germany, was founded in 1866 and has a fine reputation for operating at the forefront of technology to realise the designs of artists and architects.
Source: Derix Glasstudios website