Fragile / Melbourne Design Week 2023, Glowing Structures Gallery
CANNONS OF HOPE - תותחים של תקוה
The installation, Cannons of Hope, is a poignant expression of Ilan El's military service experiences as a soldier during the Gulf War and a testament to the strength of the human spirit in the face of conflict.
With a long history of military combat, Israeli soldiers, when presented with such violence, sing a famous song, “Flowers in the Barrel”, the heartfelt lyrics of which express a hopeful longing for a time of peace, where cannons are loaded with flowers instead of missiles.
Cannons of Hope creates a powerful metaphor for the resilience of the human spirit in the face of destruction. Using El’s highly acclaimed Cannon Vase range as its basis, this iteration of distorted vases, melted by overheating and deformed by stress, fire beams of light, casting a luminous cloud of hope and determination.
The use of glass as a medium highlights the delicate balance between control and unpredictability, characterising the creative process. Glass has its own will and yet is inherently fragile and vulnerable, creating a deeper layer of meaning to the work. The use of light expresses hope in darkness, where one state's experience relies on the juxtaposition of the other.
Set within the context of Fragile El’s sculptural installation is a powerful and moving tribute to the human spirit, highlighting the fragility and resilience that portrays our experience of the world, speaking to the enduring power of hope and the transformative potential of art & design.
About the show
An immersive thought-provoking group show featuring works by Ilan El, Hedy Ritterman & Aly Indermühle.
Wars, social injustice, and natural catastrophes have sullied humanity and reshaped our planet. The political, social and cultural events change our perception of the world, manifesting in personal and global crises. Through recording, interpreting and imagining, the group presents evocative works that encourage reflection on one’s role within a fragile existence.
Amidst imagery and sculptures of shattered glass objects, a battalion of hand-blown glass cannon vases fires beams of light casting a luminous floral cloud of hope, while a collection of intimate artist’s books guide the fragile world of subjective experience. The installation invites reflection on the interplay between destruction and creation, fragility and resilience, and the power of art to inspire hope and transformation.
