Topic: Frits Akerboom. Lucky find ?

[Durabar]

Hi all,
 I thought I'd share some images of a piece I found on
ebay some time ago. I'm not a glass collector but when
I seen this I thought it looked a bit special.

It looks like some kind of miniature time portal from "Star Trek"

Signed F Akerboom '91 burned into the base it certainly looks like a "one off"
Couldn't find many images of the artists other works although Google search turns
up the scientific glass references.

[chopin-liszt]

How wonderful!
What an unusual piece, by a very unusual artist. Very early on in my interest in glass, I went to a talk given by Jack Searle, for the Scottish Slass Society at the Macmanus Galleries in Dundee - and Fritz Akerboom was there. I saw, in reality (in vitro  ) a wonderful iridescent piece he had made - I think there are images and some info on the Scotland's Glass website.

Have a look here. 

http://www.scotlandsglass.co.uk/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=41:frits-akerboom-lampwork-a-slumped&catid=16&Itemid=8



(In labs, the expressions "in vivo" and "in vitro" are used to describe experiments that happen in life (in vivo) or as experiments to describe what happens in test tubes (in vitro). I am rather fond of trying to use the expression "in Vitro", to describe glass in reality. But I'm just a saddo about lab stuff, I love it.)

There is a piece of his work displayed in the Museum in Glasgow. (I suspect it is the same piece I saw in Dundee and that is illustrated on the website. I lust after it!)

I'm afraid (despite being a bit of a trekkie myself) I see something made fom human bones rather than a portal to other worlds.



Welcome to the board - and what a fabulous, scarce and unusual piece to start off with.!

[flying free]

hmm, I see people kissing in one and in the other, people hugging 
Very nice find.
m

[chopin-liszt]

Perhaps it's really a glass Rorschach test.

So what would our different interpretations of this say about each of us so far?

a) Imaginative and far reaching?
b) Morbid Hypochondriac? 
c) Affectionate and supportive?

[Carolyn Preston]

Nah, it's a couple kissing in front of some ruins

[flying free]

  Sue

Carolyn you made me look again - is it all one piece?

Also OP please could we have a photograph of the base and the signature?  That would be extremely helpful.

Thank you

m

[chopin-liszt]

It is all one piece - it appears to be stuck to a dark, possibly metal, base.

I'm not really a morbid hypochondriac either - just extremely interested in biological and behavioural science, ethology and anthropocentrism.

If my memory is functioning, (it might have been when I heard this) I believe Mr. Akerboom used the lampwork technique. He didn't blow glass from a pot of melted metal.

[Durabar]

Hi all. Thanks for the replies. It does look like lampwork from the
little knowledge I have. The mountings on the base seem to be hollow
where they meet the glass, could it have been blown as well?
The glass itself has a frosting effect and a textured feel to it.

I've added some images of the base which seems to be made up
from several layers of a wood chip composite material. Nothing fancy.
More like something you would have lying around in the shed.

[Carolyn Preston]

Sue

Carolyn you made me look again - is it all one piece?

Also OP please could we have a photograph of the base and the signature?  That would be extremely helpful.

Thank you

m

Pleased to be of service LOL

[Lustrousstone]

You could try writing to him. His address seems to be given here http://announce.jpress.co.uk/fife-today/obituary/kathleen-kath-akerboom/28432744