Exhibition Insight... Lewis Batchelar: Refract
Lewis Batchelar, Rondure sideboard, 2023 blown glass, American oak 730 x 2300 x 540. Photo: Pippy Mount
Lewis Batchelar: Refract
Words by Caitlin Eyre
In celebration of the talented Alumni from the JamFactory Associate Program, each year during the South Australian Living Artist Festival JamFactory presents a solo exhibition of work by a selected early career artist.
South Australia-based glass artist Lewis Batchelar presents Refract, a solo exhibition featuring a new collection of glass-based furniture, lighting and objects that focus on form and colour. Since completing JamFactory’s Associate Program in the Glass Studio in 2016, Batchelar has forged a successful glassblowing practice and has been recognised for his innovative approach to glass design. The titular word ‘refract’ means to change or bend the direction of light, with Batchelar using his practice to produce work that exploits the refractive quality of glass through his use of optics and layers.
In Refract, Lewis has pushed the boundaries of his glass practice to expand into the realms of furniture design to create large-scale furniture pieces that were inspired by Batchelar’s interest in the Fresnal Lens — a glass lens composed of a succession of concentric rings. “I am intrigued by the Fresnal lens as an object, it’s functional and sculptural properties,” Batchelar says. “In this new collection, I work with a technique in glass that draws inspiration from the Fresnal lens, rather than replicating the techniques used to create them.” Created with the assistance of South Australian furniture designer and maker Andrew Bartlett, Rondure Sideboard (2023) and Rondure Screen (2023) feature inlays of Batchelar’s blown glass rondels in their American Oak timber surfaces. In these innovative furniture pieces, Batchelar combines the refractive qualities of glass with a distinctly mid-century modern aesthetic. The influence of the Fresnal Lens is also readily apparent in the Beacon Lamp (2023), with Batchelar’s elongated lighting design acknowledging the original use of the Fresnal Lens in lighthouses.
The collection of blown glass vessels and lighting that Batchelar has created for this exhibition are influenced by the paintings and studies of German abstract artist and theorist Josef Albers (1888-1976). Renowned for his iconic colour square paintings, which featured three or four squares of solid planes of colour layered within one another, Albers theorised the absolute relativity of colour. Taking inspiration from Albers, Batchelar explores colour play through the layering and transparency of fundamental shapes in the Chroma Vase (2023), Chroma Pendant Light (2023) and Stack series. “I have always been drawn to the simplicity of Albers’ use of colour in his painting series Homage to the Square (1951-1976),” Batchelar says. “Moving away from working with dense patterning techniques in my work and focusing on creating a composition by layering simple geometric shapes and colours is a nod to Albers’ seemingly simple squares.”
The works presented in Refract represent the culmination of Batchelar’s skill in glass, his mastery of various glassblowing techniques and his personal research and aesthetic interests. “I strive to make well executed objects, both technically accurate and aesthetically pleasing,” Batchelar says. “I see this work as the next step in my exploration of colour theory and technical proficiency as a maker.”
Lewis Batchelar: Rondure screen, 2023, blown glass, American oak, 1817 x 2500 x 602023, Photo: Connor Patterson
Lewis Batchelar: Refract, Stacked Vessels, 2023
blown glass, dimensions variable (tallest 300 x 230mm) Photo: Pippy Mount
Born in New Zealand, Lewis Batchelar graduated from the Whanganui School of Glass with a Diploma in Glass Design and Production in 2012. In 2015, Batchelar relocated to Adelaide to undertake JamFactory’s Associate Training Program in the Glass Studio. Since completing the Program in 2016, Batchelar has continued to develop his practice in JamFactory’s Glass Studio, he has been a selected finalist in the Tom Malone Prize, Fuse glass Prize and Young Glass (Denmark). Batchelar was invited to co-teach a class at internationally renowned Pilchuck Glass School in USA and currently serves as JamFactory Glass Studio’s Production Manager.