1991 / Handblown glass and pebbles on Philippine jaderock base / 76 x 42 cm / Artist: Impy Pilapil / Artist’s collection

First known as a printmaker, Pilapil also worked in various media such as paper, painted steel, and coconut fiber. She has produced a body of work in glass consisting of irregularly shaped planes often combined and contrasted in texture with rocks, pebbles, jade, and metal. In this work, a table sculpture, the plane of glass is shaped like a crest of ocean wave—on one side an arching curve, on the other side the dynamic fingers of spray. The glass medium lends itself perfectly to images of water because of its clarity, purity, and transparency. The handblown technique produces clusters of bubbles, large and small, creating a lively textural interest and bringing in the elements of randomness and spontaneity. At the same time, they allude to the lunar-solar symbolism in her prints and other glass works. An etched curving line along one side enhances the plasticity of the form. To add to the effect of lightness, the glass plane opens up in the lower section where it interacts contrastingly with the jade-rock base with its rugged organic texture and solid mass. Unlike opaque materials, the glass medium brings into the sculptural concept the element of change because of its particular sensitivity to environmental conditions, with reflections and shadows forming part of the totality of the work. The artist has also done large glass screens of cosmic imagery conveying the illusion of an ethereal universe.