So about eight or nine years ago I went to San Fransisco, and it was while looking through one of the great gallery shops there that I came across the work of glass artist
Josh Simpson. In addition to many other beautiful glass objects, Simpson creates what he refers to as '
planets'. And that's exactly what these glass spheres look like. Each has exquisite detail under a clear 'atmosphere' surface. Looking in many cases worlds visited by the crew of the Starship Enterprise, or in other case, containing what resembles underwater creatures, each of these planets is unique. Using a kaleidoscope of colors, shiny minerals, twisted elements, and air bubbles, Simpson creates objects that allow our imaginations to run wild.
About a year after seeing the planets in S.F. I was touring the
Chrysler Museum's extensive glass collection in Norfolk, VA, where I came upon one of Simpson's enormous
megaplanets. I was again spellbound looking at this object from every angle, with all of the blue 'oceans', green, red, and iridescent 'land forms', and orbiting 'aircraft' and 'creatures'. I decided to research Josh Simpson's work online, and that's where I learned about the
'Infinity Project'. Simpson, having been inspired by children's marbles that he found outside of his kitchen door, thought about the concept of found objects, especially glass objects. He was intrigued by the thought of finding an object and all the questions that such an experience would conjure: What is it? Where did it come from? What was its purpose?
Inspired, Simpson decided to start 'hiding' his planets, and also to choose at least one person a month to do so as well. Simpson provides selected individuals with two Planets (one to keep, one to hide) inscribed only with the Infinity symbol. Intrigued, I wrote Simpson, expressing my intention to hide one of the planets in one of my projects under construction. I was interested in the notion of cosms that this would create: to have this very small world inserted within the space of a wall inside a building, which was yet a small part of a town or city in one of many countries, on a continent, on our planet, one of many in the universe. I was thrilled to be notified that I was selected as an Infinity Project participant.
As my first design project, an eye care office where I had intended to hid this planet, started into construction I was unexpectedly laid-off from my job, a victim of the late 2001 economic downturn. Unable to place the planet in that project, I decided that I needed to wait until a significant project came along. Some just didn't seem permanent enough, such as the tenant spaces that we designed, with an likely lifespan of about 10-15 years, maybe less. Others just didn't come to fruition. And then there were those that I just didn't feel were quite worthy. Then, a few nights ago it hit me. Here, for the last two years I have been working on a project that has challenged me in many ways and that has inspired determination and become a sort of testing ground for design ideas.
This project has become sort of a personal obsession. What better project than this to place my planet. It seemed appropriate, I realized, considering that one of the joys that I had experienced during this project was the 'artifacts' that I found in the walls and
amidst the ceiling rafters. And it even made me somewhat accept the notion that the walls that I have just built might one day be torn down by a future tenant, a thought that I have had in the past (but moreso from the "with all the work I've done someone better not rip this out" perspective!). I'm now almost excited about the notion of one day (hopefully way in the future) tearing out the wall and finding this small glass globe, and wondering, "What is this?"
So about eight or nine years ago I went to San Fransisco, and it was while looking through one of the great gallery shops there that I came across the work of glass artist Josh Simpson. In addition to many other beautiful glass objects, Simpson creates what he refers to as 'planets'. And that's exactly what these glass spheres look like. Each has exquisite detail under a clear 'atmosphere' surface. Looking in many cases worlds visited by the crew of the Starship Enterprise, or in other case, containing what resembles underwater creatures, each of these planets is unique. Using a kaleidoscope of colors, shiny minerals, twisted elements, and air bubbles, Simpson creates objects that allow our imaginations to run wild.
About a year after seeing the planets in S.F. I was touring the Chrysler Museum's extensive glass collection in Norfolk, VA, where I came upon one of Simpson's enormous megaplanets. I was again spellbound looking at this object from every angle, with all of the blue 'oceans', green, red, and iridescent 'land forms', and orbiting 'aircraft' and 'creatures'. I decided to research Josh Simpson's work online, and that's where I learned about the 'Infinity Project'. Simpson, having been inspired by children's marbles that he found outside of his kitchen door, thought about the concept of found objects, especially glass objects. He was intrigued by the thought of finding an object and all the questions that such an experience would conjure: What is it? Where did it come from? What was its purpose? 
Inspired, Simpson decided to start 'hiding' his planets, and also to choose at least one person a month to do so as well. Simpson provides selected individuals with two Planets (one to keep, one to hide) inscribed only with the Infinity symbol. Intrigued, I wrote Simpson, expressing my intention to hide one of the planets in one of my projects under construction. I was interested in the notion of cosms that this would create: to have this very small world inserted within the space of a wall inside a building, which was yet a small part of a town or city in one of many countries, on a continent, on our planet, one of many in the universe. I was thrilled to be notified that I was selected as an Infinity Project participant.
As my first design project, an eye care office where I had intended to hid this planet, started into construction I was unexpectedly laid-off from my job, a victim of the late 2001 economic downturn. Unable to place the planet in that project, I decided that I needed to wait until a significant project came along. Some just didn't seem permanent enough, such as the tenant spaces that we designed, with an likely lifespan of about 10-15 years, maybe less. Others just didn't come to fruition. And then there were those that I just didn't feel were quite worthy. Then, a few nights ago it hit me. Here, for the last two years I have been working on a project that has challenged me in many ways and that has inspired determination and become a sort of testing ground for design ideas. 
This project has become sort of a personal obsession. What better project than this to place my planet. It seemed appropriate, I realized, considering that one of the joys that I had experienced during this project was the 'artifacts' that I found in the walls and amidst the ceiling rafters. And it even made me somewhat accept the notion that the walls that I have just built might one day be torn down by a future tenant, a thought that I have had in the past (but moreso from the "with all the work I've done someone better not rip this out" perspective!). I'm now almost excited about the notion of one day (hopefully way in the future) tearing out the wall and finding this small glass globe, and wondering, "What is this?"
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