Open Sesame
Artist
Cash, Sydney
(American, born 1941)
Date1989
OriginUnited States of America
MediumSlumped, sandblasted glass, nichrome wire, Flutex plate glass, assembled plate glass box
Dimensions12 1/4 × 11 × 7 1/2 in. (31.1 × 27.9 × 19.1 cm)
ClassificationsGlass
Credit LineGift of the Leah and Richard Waitzer Foundation
Object number2022.20
Label TextSydney Cash
(American, b. 1941)
Open Sesame
Slumped, sandblasted glass, nichrome wire, Flutex plate glass, assembled plate glass box, 1989
Gift of The Leah and Richard Waitzer Foundation. 2022.20
Inquisitive and inventive, Sydney Cash has always been drawn to material experimentation; he approaches his practice with scientific precision. In the 1980s, he created small-scale architectural sculptures that explored the physical possibilities of slumped glass. Slowly melted over thin nichrome wires, the sagging process is halted when the glass reaches a permanent state of draped and undulating perfection. The diaphanous fluidity of the delicate, tri-fold form of Open Sesame is set into a box constructed from industrial plate glass. The distortive visual effects of ribbed Flutex glass in the background are amplified by the transparent plate glass, which has been enhanced with linear patterns. The cut-out oculus on the front of the box frames an unobstructed view to the sagged glass within, and the subtle vertical lines visually break the sculptural form and create optical illusions of movement.
Status
On view
Statom, Therman
