The Cartographers

29 September 2022 - 29 October 2022

James Maskrey uses glass blowing as his vehicle for storytelling; The Cartographers references the map makers’ art, particularly the depiction of imaginary creatures in the cartouches of ancient maps.

‘The Cartographers reference the art of map making, particularly the depiction of mythical creatures on medieval maps. Many of these were reported first-hand sightings by ancient seafarers who were the main sources of information for writers and artists trying to describe ocean life. They may have been overcome by fever, exhaustion, dehydration or too much grog, but their reports of these creatures became the basis for natural history texts and subsequent drawings on maps.’ – James Maskrey

Born: 1967
Place of Birth: Surrey

James Maskrey has a career in hot glass spanning over 30 years. He has exhibited widely internationally and his own work is included in many public and private collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Crafts Council. He has a dedicated passion for education and the sharing of skills. He has facilitated glass projects for many other international artists including Ryan Gander, Monster Chetwynd, Katie Paterson, Pascale Marthine Tayou, Magdalene Odundo, Richard Slee and Nicholas Pope. He currently works for the University of Sunderland at the National Glass Centre.

‘I use predominantly hot glass to create factual and imagined objects that often take the form of individual pieces or collections of curiosities. Inspiration comes from many sources. Personal experiences, peculiar facts, elaborate hoaxes and more recently, voyages of discovery, endeavour and exploration all help to inform, whilst a passion for both traditional craft skills and new technologies play an important part in the execution of the work. The works provide a narrative through this traditional craft approach that invites the viewer to interpret them through combinations of snippets of information, title and the objects themselves.’ – James Maskrey

Public Collections include:
Victoria & Albert Museum, London; National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh; Perth Museum and Art Gallery, UK; North Lands Creative Glass, Caithness, UK; The Captain Cook Memorial Museum, UK; Manchester Metropolitan University, UK; Crystallex Collection, Czech Republic

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