My work tries to portray the size and scale of the ocean and the comparison of its vastness against humanity.
Self-taught artist Ben Young depicts the beauty of the ocean, building realistic translucent glass seascapes. Influenced by industrial design and architecture, New-Zealand-based glass artist draws his creative approach from years of surfing on the northern coast of the island and from his experience as a boatbuilder. Exploring the art of sculpting with glass completely crafted by hand, Ben Young likes to highlight the spontaneity and the imperfections of this man-made process. He took us on a tour of his geometric islands.
How did you come to sculpting and why with glass?
I always had a passion for creating. For as long as I can remember I have been making things. I guess I dabbled with all sorts but there was something about the glass that captured my imagination. It was never my intention to become a glass sculptor but I enjoyed working with the medium so much and exploring the possibilities of where I could take ideas that it has led me to doing it full-time and actually making a living off it which I am very grateful for.
Tell us about your process from idea to creation.
I find ideas can come to me at any time, something will usually trigger it whether it's a rock formation or a picture I see in a magazine. The idea will usually float round in my head for awhile, I think about how it is going to look and is it going to be possible to make? I have sketchbooks that I fill with these ideas. Developing the idea sometimes leads to other ideas and a new direction and then I get to a final form that I am happy with. Once I have locked in the design it's time to work out the technicalities, draw scale drawings, work out sizes, proportions and profiles to work to. Then it's into the studio to start cutting piece by piece until you see the work take shape which I enjoy. The mind numbing but very important cleaning and gluing stage then takes place, the glass depending on the piece is then moulded and the concrete is formed and ground. A final tidy up and the piece is done.
Most of your works are ocean-related and are often described as "Aquatic sculptures". Are you happy with this definition?
I guess a lot of my work is about portraying the beauty and peacefulness of the ocean, there are glimpses of the fierce side in some of my pieces but overall my work tries to portray the size and scale of the ocean and the comparison of its vastness against humanity. The names of the work are more about extending the theme of the expanse of the world and the scale of its land/ocean scape's comparative to the human existence. Also to reinforce the importance of its conservation as it is so fragile. On a more personal level I think it was a battle with my own self to create snap shots of places of solitude you could escape the chaos and pressures of modern day society.
How would you describe your relationship to the ocean?
The ocean has been a massive part of my life, I have never lived further than walking distance from it. It's been my playground through surfing and also connected to how I made a living before the glass as a boatbuilder. I am a surfer as well. It has been an important part of my upbringing, my whole family surf. A lot of my life experiences especially through travel have revolved around it and it is a very important part of my day to day life.
How does the ocean help you in your creative expression?
Getting out into the ocean helps to clear my mind and think about things. I always come in refreshed and motivated to get back into the workshop with new ideas. The skills I picked up building boats has been invaluable. A lot of the time in boat building there is no specific way to do things so it's all about problem solving and working out the best way to do something. This, along with the skillset I learned through the trade has enabled me to transform my sketches into actual pieces. Glass can be a very difficult medium and there are a lot of limitation to the shapes I can cut by hand so problem solving is key!
Your pieces are crafted by hand, why did you choose to avoid machines and stick to this genuine process?
Mainly the enjoyment of using my hands to create, I also feel you become detached from the piece if you are stuck behind a screen or a computer. I like to be able to change things as I go, it gives the piece a certain spontaneity, if I don't quite like the lines or angle I have the ability to change this. I also like the slight imperfections that you get from doing it all by hand, those are the details you miss when using a machine, it can all become a little too perfect.
It seems you played with new colors with your newest pieces Icebergs, right?
Yes it is. I have had that idea for a while and really wanted to portray the depth of the ocean but couldn't get the coloured glass I wanted. It tool a lot of research and sourcing of materials to find what I was after. I am super happy with how those pieces turned out and am hoping to incorporate that colour in a few more works in the future.
As a self-taught artist, who are your biggest influences?
I am influenced by all sorts of people and things. From industrial design and architecture to nature, I try not to focus too much on glass work but take note of anything anywhere that catch my eye.
What’s coming up in the future?
Right now I'm working on a few commission pieces then I have to get ready for an art fair in Chicago and possibly an art fair in Singapore at the end of the year, so I will be busy.
Do you think you’ll continue working with ocean-themed works?
I do, they have been very popular and I enjoy making them so why stop. I would like to also develop some new ideas that are more abstract but still with a water theme.
Discover more of Ben Young work on his website
