Bug Bomb

Edition 1/17. GlassLab—the Corning Museum’s signature design program— was established in 2005 to provide international designers the opportunity to explore the properties of glass by designing and creating objects with experienced artist-glassmakers. Over the past decade, the field of design has broadened from industrial production to encompass art, craft, and unique and limited-edition objects. Technologically advanced ideas are presented alongside poetic interpretations. Intellect and spirit, machine and hand, social and individual awareness, and art and craft are increasingly integrated to achieve a more holistic approach to design. As sculptors and painters experimenting with glass have profoundly influenced the ways in which the material can be expressed in art, so will designers influence the ways in which we encounter glass every day. In 2008, Steven and William Ladd participated in GlassLab at Design Miami during the Art Basel Miami Beach fair, where they created the prototype for Bug Bomb. The Ladd brothers have been designing together since 2000, combining Steven’s experience with theater, fashion, performance, and art with William’s skill in beadwork. This sculpture consists of a black bug bomb with iridescent fuse and orange flame, all made of glass, lying on top of a box; the bomb is surrounded by seven black ants of flameworked glass set on coiled fabric braids. In 2013, Bug Bomb and a glass heart designed at GlassLab by Sigga Heimis (Icelandic, b. 1970) were produced in limited editions for retail sale. They are the first in a series of limited-edition, collectible designs to be sold by the Museum from GlassLab prototypes. Signed: “GLASSLAB / CORNING MUSEUM OF GLASS,” burned on top of wood lid. Unpublished. For more information on GlassLab, see www .cmog.org/glasslab. For more information about the designers, see Steven and William Ladd, Steven and William Ladd: Shaboygen, Brooklyn: Invisible Dog Art Center, 2012; and idem, Steven and William Ladd: 9769 Radio Drive, Honolulu: The Contemporary Museum, 2011. See also www.stevenandwilliam.com.