The Glass Age

The Glass Age series remains the pinnacle collaborative experience in the history of Horizon. 

In October of 2008 Regis Anchuelo contacted Ron regarding taking a break from France and winter with the idea of blowing glass on holiday as far away as possible. Through the glass art society directory, he found our glass blowing studio here, in Bali.  The 2 corresponded a few times including the introduction with Julien Espagne, a cold glass artist, who could help Ron and Regis overcome the language barrier and be part of a 3 ways collaboration. It was set! Low and behold pretty much at the last-minute Francis Auboiron, a fourth glass artist, had decided to join Regis on his pilgrimage, becoming the 4th element of a memorabole collaboration, the fifth was glass. Julien being a flint napper and an archeologist who makes flaked glass spear tips, naturally had a sort of pre-historic bent. Ron had taken a sculpture course that summer where he learned some of the techniques developed by William Morris who is known for making fantastic animal heads and the like, so the idea of spears and hunters prey started to set the theme as the work began with the first attempts at making spears.  Designs came flying out of Julien's sketchbook and the three glass blowers were very much on a roll, literally as the designs were transcribed in glass powders and the motifs were rolled hot onto vessels.  One day it was spears, the next was vessels and solid objects, the next would be massive animal skulls and so on and so forth. This became an epic session of great success and a journey into the unprecedented.  After 6 weeks of sweat, laughter and tears at departure, Francis and Regis returned to France leaving behind a sort of odd silence in the hot shop.
Everyone wanted more. Shortly after Christmas Regis wrote again stating they were cold, not working and coming back to Bali in February.  So began session two of the Glass Age series where as the pinnacle of pinnacles “Java Man” was created amongst others like the Saber “Toothed Tiger”, “java Tiger Skull” and “Crocodile Skull”. Julian and Ron sought a gallery in Jakarta for exhibition and Ditier of Duta Gallery had agreed and suggested a book be made as the catalog.  Ari Wekku Sasski, a long time friend of Ron, had been photographing the work sessions and was pleased with the idea of turning their work into an art book. Soon Ron and Wekku began working out the book burning midnight oil. The rest is history as they say. Copies of the book are available in store.