Louis Thompson
This recent body of 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.
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 sabotaging the material, 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.
Education:
2007-11 M.A. Ceramics and Glass, Royal College of Art
1985–88 B.A. Honours Degree in Design: Glass
North Staffordshire Polytechnic
Awards and Residencies:
2009 Charlotte Fraser Award for Glass, Royal College of Art, London
2002 Dorothy Saxe Award nominee, Pilchuck Glass School, Seattle, USA
2001 Artist in Residence, Leerdam Glass Centre, Netherlands
1999 Pilchuck Glass School, Seattle, USA, Full Scholarship
Solo Exhibitions:
2011 New Works, Robert Phillips Gallery, Riverhouse, Walton
Group Exhibitions:
2011 Anatomy, The Cob Gallery, London
Rising Stars, Coombe Gallery, Dartmouth
Bermondsey Boys, Steam Gallery, Bier, Devon
Binary, Two person show, London Glassblowing Gallery, London
Glashaus VI, Parndon Mill Gallery, Harlow
Old Material, Work, Royal College of Art MA Exhibition
Breathtaking, National Touring Exhibition, Crafts Council
2010 Neuroscience and Craft, Flow Gallery, London
British Glass Bienalle, Sourbridge
International Exhibition of Glass Kanazawa, Japan
Remarkable Glass, Contemporary Applied Arts, London
Out of Practice, site-specific works Siobhan Davies Dance Studios, London
Miniature: A Touring Exhibition, London, Copenhagen, Detroit and Singapore
Recollect, Glass Art Gallery, London
Heavenly Scent, Glass Art Gallery, London
2009 Einfall, site-specific works, Sigmund Freud Museum, London
London Glass, Leon Salet Gallery, Maastricht, Netherlands
2008 Reflection, Site-specific works, Sir John Soanes Museum, London
Art of Glass, Plumbline Gallery, St Ives
Bombay Sapphire Prize Exhibition, Milan
Glashaus III Parndon Mill, Harlow
2007 London Glassblowing, Glas Galerie Koln, Cologne, Germany
Delamore Gallery and Sculpture Garden, Devon
2006 30 Years of London Glassblowing, National Touring Exhibition
London Glassblowing, Chagford Gallery, Devon
British Glass Biennale, Stourbridge
London Glassblowing, Candover Gallery, Hampshire
Tangents, International Glass, Glass Art Gallery, London
2005 Glass Act, Highcliff Castle, Dorset
Four Person Show, Leon Salet Gallery, Maastricht, Netherlands
New Works, Victoria Fearn Gallery, Cardiff
2004 Metamorphosis, Zest Gallery, London
British Glass Biennale, Stourbridge
British Glass, Glass Inspiration Gallery, Burgdorf, Switzerland
Lustre, Tullie House Museum, Carlisle
2003 The Art of Glass and Embroidery, De Morgan Centre, London
Korean World Craft Biennale, Cheongju, Korea
Contemporary Glass, Crescent Arts, Scarborough
2002 “9 x 9, Glass Art Gallery, London
2001 World Exhibition of Crafts, Kanazawa, Japan
Pilchuck Live Auction, Seattle, USA
2000 Contemporary Glass Society Exhibition”, St.Ives
Vessels, International Exhibition, Kanazawa, Japan
Glass Auction, National Liberty Museum, Philadelphia, USA
1999 Pilchuck Live Auction, Seattle, USA
Gallery L, Hamburg, Germany
1998 Guiness Gallery, Dublin, Ireland
1990 International Exhibition of Glass, Kanazawa, Japan
British Artists in Glass (BAG), Williamson Museum, Birkenhead
1989 Gallery L, Hamburg, Germany
Public Collections:
2011 Toyama City Museum, Toyama Prefecture, Japan
2010 Siobhan Davies Dance Studios, permanent installation, London
Commissions:
2011 SAB Miller, Design and Ppoduce 16 Awards, Mercatus Awards
2010 5,000 piece chandelier, Private Commission
2010 ‘John Carter of Mars’ film artifacts, Propshop Modelmakers
2010 DBA Design Awards, Royal College of Art, London
2009 ‘Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ film artifacts, Propshop Modelmakers
2008 ‘The Golden Compass’ film artifacts and lighting, Propshop Modelmakers
2007 Chandeliers for Borghese Luce Arte, London
2006 Headmasters Salons, retail displays, 24 sites across the London area
2006 Young Vic Theatre, site specific glass detailing with Clem Crosby, London
2005 Program Gallery, production of glass sculpture for Clem Crosby, London
1998 Tate Gallery Restaurant, glass detailing with Definitive Design, Liverpool
1998 Bluecoat Display Centre, exterior glass detailing with Definitive Design, Liverpool
Selected Press and Publications:
2011 Upfront, Crafts Magazine, July
2011 Talent Spot, Elle Decoration, July
2011 The Graduates, Crafts Magazine, May 2011
2011 London Glassblowing, Craft Arts International, No 81
2011 Giving Fixed Form to the Fleeting, Crafts Magazine, March