On Fragility

"On Fragility"

10 glass object

The end of the world could be a sparkling beauty of the glass spheres randomly rolled away about the floor. Looking a bit closer one becomes aware that all of them resemble the planet Earth, multiplied here into the system of glass spheres one can possibly play with just like the aliens at the end of Men in Black movie did. But it is much more than a joke or hyperbole. One can recall the images of planet Earth in various historical and social contexts: it was an emblem of peace but also of space exploration or commercial brand (of globalised business).

One can become aware of the fragility and vulnerability of the equilibrium of its ecosystem; actually, the title of the object is “On Fragility”, which might refer also to the material of glass it is made of. Fragile and vulnerable is, by the way, also the glass manufacture that in the recent decades has suffered from the bankruptcy of many glasswork factories incapable to compete with the pseudo-Moser glasses sold at IKEA at the price of 15 Kč.

text by Marika Kupková, 2021