My colleague at the University of Sunderland, Cate Watkinson and myself have been very busy putting this exciting conference together and we are delighted at the amazing speakers who have agreed to come from close and afar; Marian Karel from the Czech Republic who will host a model making workshop, Judith Schaechter from the USA, Alexander Beleschenko from the UK, Carrie Fertig, Daan Roosegaarde from the Netherlands, Algirdas Dovydenas from Lithuania… a truely international affair.

I will also be presenting a talk about the Map-i project so it will be good to get feedback on this.

These panes now need to be sandblasted with intricate text from the John Gray Centre  archives, museum records and library. Once completed, the glass will be installed from steel cabling in the curved glass atrium and mark the entrance with sweeping statement curving up.  Sarah, an intern from Ireland who worked in the studio over the winter, had been expecting to work on this project but alas the glass arrived five months later than expected so she has been, came back and gone again…so now awaits the mammoth task of sandblasting 54 panels all by myself!

Many interesting conversations were had, new connections made and perhaps new collaborations will emerge.

And yes, the talk “Map as Metaphor” was well received and I will sleep well tonight!

Tomorrow the final day of the conference and a thorough visit of the accompanying “Mercator Digitaal” exhibition and on Saturday a visit to the Plantin Moretus Museum on Saturday which is a veritable institution; the 15th and 16th century  printing press and bookshop were a crucial cog in the distribution of humanist ideas and knowledge and became of the earliest printing museums with an incredible collection of maps and other archival materials. Plantin of course also published and sold many of Mercator’s books, maps and globes.

The quote of today is “squaring the circle”!

The StEM, the local regional Museum also opened a new exhibition ‘Mercator Digitaal” which features the earthglobe and celestial globe in glorious large scale high definition; allowing you to see incredible detail of these old and delicate objects.

Today I will be delivering my talk about the “Map as Metaphor” detailing how maps have been used by artists and how I have and will be using maps and mapping in my work and more specifically how Mercator will feature in a new body of work. Fingers crossed!

Attached is a first draft of a 3D model of what I hope will become a glass globe in due course, which will form part of a new body of glass pieces inspired by the Mercator Museum collection and which will be showcased there in 2013.

I am very much looking forward to getting to know more about Mercator from a bunch of eminent cartographers.

http://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk/news/local-headlines/jed-pupils-window-of-opportunity-1-2200880

I am writing the report about this project today. Next week Amy and myself will be running a few more workshops in the studio for the various groups who have been partaking in this scheme.

And on Monday 16th April, Rachel, Amy and myself will be speaking at the Stirling University as part of a national conference which will discuss the merits of this scheme as part of a large Scottish pilot scheme.

And we are hoping that all the work that both the three of us are making as the result of this residency, and the work of all the participants will be showcase later in the year. More details to follow in due course.

The largest pane is 3m tall by 1.2 wide and weighs 230 kilos and took a team of six experienced glass fitters to haul it up the scaffolding with the help of a manual winch.

My favorite is however, the small door to the cloakroom, off the hall, which has got a frosted set of panels set into the traditional wooden door. Because of the muted light, the reflective qualities of the glass come out well.

The fan light and vestibule door have the same design as the cloakroom door but in clear glass and ‘floating’ on the clear pane of glass onto which it is bonded; there is an issue with the bonding, which the manufacturer and myself will now have to figure out how to resolve.

Glass projects such as these always throw up new surprises and the learning never ends…

However, the client and the architect were very happy with the result and service, which is all that matters.

You are warmly invited to attend a talk by about the Jedburgh Abbey  artist-in-residency scheme this Saturday at the Abbey from 11-1; entry free for Historic Scotland members, otherwise normal entry charge apply. I know it is short notice but hope to see some familiar faces; apart from the Abbey, Jedburgh is a beautiful Border town with an historic centre and gorgeous countryside around; good for a day out!

“A pioneering artist in residence scheme at Stirling Castle has proved so successful that Education Scotland has formed a new partnership with Historic Scotland to take the programme out into the wider community in Perthshire and the Scottish Borders. Initiatives on and off site with Jedburgh Abbey as the main focus, have created a bespoke learning in programme with Youth Borders. Three professional artists, resident in the area are involved in this work; Inge Panneels, Amy Neville and Rachel O’Dell. All three are referencing their own work fuelled by the Abbey experience.

Lead Artist Inge Panneels and Amy Neville are available to talk about their new      work and experience at the Abbey on Saturday March 17^th and invite people interested in any aspect of this new project to attend. The presentation and dialogue with the audience will include the context of the project, supported by CABN (Creative Arts Borders Network) to build on the experience of emerging artists in the Borders, and the range of inspiring themes being explored.” (Kahleen O’Neill – Culture Matters)

The John Gray Centre opened officially yesterday.

Tonight a workshop with local children groups from Ancrum and Jedburgh visited the studio and made their own scaled down versions of contemporary stained glass windows, with imagery and stories that are important to them and their take on Jedburgh.

There are several groups involved at different sites, and a personalised programme for each will be centred around the Abbey and its magnificent ‘voids’ of glass.

Today, Radio Borders also interviewed Kathleen O-Neill the project leader.