The Music of the Spheres: Art Works of Mark Matthews

Mark Matthews has been making marbles for 35 years, using techniques never before used in the making of marbles. He combines aesthetics, social history, and economic concerns with investigations into the physical and chemical properties of glass to create his own kind of music. The marble is a means to an end, not an end in itself.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 29 August 2023
Publisher: Hermes Press

For over three decades, Mark Matthews has been crafting marbles, a timeless art form that has withstood the test of time. Some of these magnificent creations, such as the banded lutzes, opaques, latticino, solid, and vane cores, clambroths, onionskins, and peppermints, proudly trace their origins back to the nineteenth century. However, it is the precision air traps, filigranas, and graals that truly showcase Matthews' innovative spirit, employing techniques never before seen in the world of marble making.

Matthews' marbles are more than just spherical glass objects; they are imbued with meaning, significance, an aesthetic vision, and a purpose. Each marble is a testament to his dedication and expertise, a work of art that transcends its physical form. In this sense, the marble is a means to an end, not an end in itself.

Aesthetics, a captivating blend of form and color theory, intertwine with in-depth investigations into the physical and chemical properties of glass. These investigations not only explore the artistic possibilities of the material but also delve into the rich tapestry of social history and economic concerns. It is within the unlikely realm of the marble, a crystalline sphere that, in Matthews' skilled hands, produces its own unique symphony of sound, that these diverse elements converge.

Mark Matthews' marbles are a testament to the enduring power of art and the limitless possibilities that arise when creativity and craftsmanship collide. They remind us of the beauty and significance that can be found in the simplest of objects, and they inspire us to embrace the endless possibilities that exist within the world of art.

Weight: 1361g
Dimension: 279 x 229 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781613452509