Rui Sasaki is a Japanese glass artist, who envisions fluid sculptures that interact with humans and come to life before the viewer’s eyes. Sasaki aims to reproduce the unpredictability of weather and encapsulate it in phosphorescent glass that stores light and shines in the dark.
Her works are spread across a wide variety of shapes, from raindrops to more abstract objects, all glowing when placed in a dark room. Sasaki’s interest in the weather became more acute when she moved from the Kanto region to Hokuriku, a region where the climate is in constant change.
She quickly noticed how the gloomy weather impacted her mood and that’s when the inspiration for the glass sculptures hit, as Sasaki wanted to create something that celebrates the occasional sunlight and its glow. When galleries are displaying the artist’s work, they are always presented in pitch-black rooms, but once the visitor’s eyes adjust to the darkness, the beautiful glowing pieces reveal themselves.
The phosphorescence of the glass also fades with each visitor, until all that remains behind is complete darkness. Sasaki is now preparing for her upcoming exhibition in May, at Tokyo’s Gallery DiEGO Omotesando and is a permanent employee at the faculty of Kanazawa Utatsuya Kogei Kobo in Ishikawa, Japan.
“Liquid Sunshine/ I am a Pluviophile,” glass, phosphorescent material, broad spectrum UV lights, motion detector, 3353 x 4267 x 3658 mm (as installation), 2019. (Photo credit: Yayushi Ichikawa, 33rd Rakow Commission, courtesy of The Corning Museum of Glass)
“Remembering the weather,” glass, phosphorescent crystal mixture, lights, motion sensor, plywood, 1800 x 590 x 300 mm, 2020. (Photo credit: Kurt Rodahl)
“Weather Project,” glass, phosphorescent crystal mixture, sunshine, 1050 x 1300 x 750 mm, 2015.
“Remembering the clouds,” glass, phosphorescent crystal mixture, snow (Boda Glasbruk, Sweden, and Kanazawa, Japan), UV lights, timer, 3300 x 500 x 2300 mm as installation, 2019. (Photo credit: Kurt Rodahl Hoppe)
