Liam Fleming

Based in Tarntanya (Adelaide), Liam Fleming spent years training himself to work precisely and efficiently in the glassblowing hotshop. Technically trained as a glass-blower, his architecturally inspired practice is grounded in the most precise of techniques: mould-blowing and cold lamination. This regimented way of working has provided an invaluable foundation for his practice. It is this way of working this is under siege in this body of work.

In Post-Production, Fleming takes objects made under the ‘old regime’ of traditional techniques, and demolishes these by subjecting them to rough surface treatment, fusing them at high temperatures in a kiln, and then joining the objects in a way totally at odds with the precision of cold lamination. Direct control is impossible in this process as the glass slumps and warps, collapses under its weight, and expands with pressure. This chaotic method is akin to the controlled demolition of buildings to make way for a new construction.

Post-Production explores the complicated relationship between craft, art, design and architecture. Through his creative destruction, Fleming purposefully relinquishes the precise control that he once cultivated, and in exchange, he gains the chance to capture a moment, playful and redeeming.