Sculptor, Katharine Dowson from Stocksfield, Northumberland and Glass Artist, Chiho Hitomi of Japan, have been brought together in Move as if Breathing to provide the viewer with different visions of a fragile, comforting, familiar, dynamic and thought provoking medium: Glass.

Move as if Breathing encourages us to question our relationship with our surroundings and our place in it by the emotional impact that both artists trigger when surrounded by their intrinsically personal pieces.

Both Katharine and Chiho fundamentally work with the beauty of glass, its fragile existence and how light and shade can transform a work of art and the viewer's feelings towards it.

Chiho Hitomi: "I have been using ephemeral material such as fine glass rings, leaf skeletons and translucent fabric. The fragility and the sensuousness of these materials and how they absorb and reflect light casting their shadows are also key to creating an emotional impact on the viewer."

Katharine Dowson: "With 'In Vitro' installation, you enter a darkened room and see large distorted glass shapes suspended in the void. Lasers illuminate the hidden world inside the glass, creating red anatomical shadows on the surrounding walls. The shadows gently move as if breathing in liquid or light."

Does Katharine's work comfort you as it slowly envelopes you in its world? Does it feel fragile or strong? Does Chiho's work make you feel surrounded by twinkling stars or locked in or trapped? Does it make you feel as if you could fly? Only the viewer can decide.

National Glass Centre
Liberty Way, Sunderland, SR6 OGL
Tel: 00 44 (0191) 515 5555
Fax: 00 44 (0191) 515 5556
info@nationalglasscentre.com