Alison Sigethy
September 2011
Sanctuary
Commemorating the 10th anniversary of 9/11, Alison Sigethy’s Sanctuary attempts to bring the viewer closer to achieving inner peace by taking them on a journey inside the human body. Sigethy’s belief in the power of the inner-self, a place where one can truly find peace, healing and forgiveness, has been the foundation in creating this work.
In Sanctuary, the body is represented by two multi-piece sculptures, each portraying a different internal system. Breath, six large glass panels with undulating fabric and shadows, represents the respiratory system. Life, four bubble tubes filled with intricate glass components, represents the cardiovascular system. Both sculptures incorporate sound and movement as an essential part of the experience. Sigethy’s choice in glass is largely environmental—structural glass, which makes up the majority of all manufactured glass, is not recycled but buried in landfills—so using building glass is part of her mission. However she also enjoys the challenge of taking a cold, hard, sterile material and giving it new life as an organic form.
Sigethy studied theater and lighting design at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University and received degrees in Interior Design and Art History from Marymount University. She was a commercial artist and art director before taking up glass full time in 2003. From 2003 to 2006 she was a studio artist with the Washington Glass School. Sigethy has exhibited at the Smithsonian Craft Show and been a speaker in the Smithsonian Presents series. She is on the faculty of the Washington Glass School, is a Torpedo Factory Resident Artist, and was the Torpedo Factory Artist of the Year with Marsha Staiger in 2010.
Visit Sigethy’s website at www.alisonsigethy.com.
Watch the artist interview here.