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MICHAEL SKURA : LIGHT. SPACE. GLASS.

4,925 views · Published 30 July 2014 · 4:10 · Indexed 24 October 2026

Channel: ERIC MINH SWENSON ART FILMS · 2014 · Education

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Film by Eric Minh Swenson. Music by Melotone. 

Stemming from his architectural schooling, Michael Skura was inspired early on by modernist notions of the honesty of materials, and simplification of form. His hand blown glass artwork consists primarily of heavy masses of glass with “bubbles inside bubbles”, and is conceived of as large scale organic wall clusters. His work explores glass as a material with a “mind of its own” and celebrates conventional defects as opportunities for expression of the essence of the material itself. Instead of fighting the many natural inclinations of molten glass which are often seen by artisans as imperfections, Skura has been more interested in “coaching” glass to assert itself through, distortions, bubbles, debris and stress marks.

Michael Skura studied architecture at the University of Waterloo in Canada, worked for Norman Foster in London, and then moved to NYC where he joined international engineering firm Ove Arup. His focus on innovative materials and manufacturing processes led him to serve as an advisor on academic architecture juries at MIT, Columbia, and Penn State’s School of Architecture.

In 2002, Michael came to southern California to explore the impact of the automotive industry on art and architecture. Technology transfer from industries such as aerospace, automotive, marine, and entertainment were galvanizing art and architecture and California was the hotbed for experimentation. Michael consulted on materials and construction for clients such as Vito Acconci, Robert Irwin and Frank Gehry, and taught new manufacturing strategies at SCI-Arc in Los Angeles. Michael specialized early on in the medium of glass, exploring slumping, fusing, curving, laminating and ultimately glassblowing.

For more info on Eric Minh Swenson or project inquiries visit his website: www.thuvanarts.com.  You can also visit the art film series page at www.thuvanarts.com/take1

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