mark reigelman: breaking the bottle at heller gallery

mark reigelman: breaking the bottle
heller gallery, new york city
on now until july 30, 2011



'breaking the bottle' by mark reigelman at heller gallery
all images courtesy of mark reigelman


brooklyn-based artist mark reigelman has created 'breaking the bottle,' a site-specific installation on display at new york city's heller gallery.
taking cues from the handmade glass defenses found on fences and rooftops worldwide, this work encrusts twelve household objects,
including chairs, lamps, and a bearskin rug, in protective layers of broken shards.

the collection is placed on a pedestal with dimensions matching the artist's childhood living room, arranged to suggest a familiar domestic landscape.
however, the green color and crystalline surface texture evoke clipped, performative topiaries of the outdoors:
the innate danger and hostility of glass shards make them useful barriers, but they also greatly isolate the objects contained within.

reigleman's abrasive integration of this material in a typically comforting interior subverts expectations
to examine increasingly blurred distinctions between public and private domain.



the objects' functionality is maintained, such as the lamp's illumination and the mirror's reflective properties, to convey a familiar scene



installation view









all objects are true to scale












photo studio installation process



photo studio installation process



glass covering in progress


integrating reigelman's background in both sculpture and industrial design, the systematic process of 'breaking the bottle' took three months to complete.
each object is composed of about 40 layers of glass shards, and the installation altogether uses over 1,000 pounds of 100% recycled glass
and 20 gallons of adhesive epoxy resin.



glass covering in progress



glass covering in progress