Liminal Amphore

The work Liminal Amphore was created by the artist duo Philip Baldwin (born 1947, New York) and Monica Guggisberg (born 1955, Bern), who are among the most important representatives of contemporary glass art. In Greek, an amphora means a two-handled clay vessel, although some as in the present example lacked handles entirely. A shape frequently encountered in Baldwin & Guggisberg’s oeuvre, it refers to Antiquity, when it was widely used as a storage and transport vessel. The vertical upright position of the mouth-blown vase is enabled by a metal tripod. The vase itself consists of several layers of glass, overlaid while still hot. This process follows a Swedish tradition, which Baldwin & Guggisberg combine with Venetian cold-working techniques: By treating the bulbous vessel with a wheel, the artists reveal layers and allow lines and colour fields to emerge. The title of this black and white container refers to modern life and its challenging liminal spaces, but also to cultural milestones of the past.
Monica Guggisberg and Philip Baldwin have been working together as a team since 1979. They met in Sweden, where they worked for Wilke Adolfsson (1940) and Ann Wolff (1937) for two years and learnt the basics of craftsmanship, art and design at the famous glass school in Orrefors. Their first studio was in Nonfoux, Switzerland, where they lived for 20 years before moving to Paris and then to rural Wales in 2015. After starting their career making free-blown glass for everyday use, they gradually moved into the world of design, working with renowned companies such as Rosenthal, Steuben and Venini. However, design collaborations have only ever been a small part of Baldwin & Guggisberg’s work, and in the last ten years their focus has shifted to larger works and installations. They exhibit their work worldwide and have received numerous awards, including the prestigious Prix de la Vocation in Lausanne, Switzerland.