Slough

A collaboration between Suzanne Peterson and Kimberly McKinnis

Handblown Glass, Safety Glass, Wax

Slough: Noun

1. the outer layer of the skin of a snake, which is cast off periodically.

2. Pathology. a mass or layer of dead tissue separated from the surrounding or underlying tissue.

3. Anything that is shed or cast off.

This work is a material exploration of glass in multiple states. While the center orb was hand-blown, the outer layer of “skin” is made from bits of broken glass, that was originally created in sheets at a “Float Glass” Factory. This type of safety glass is common in our everyday lives, is found in your car’s windshield, shower doors and in other common places.The doorway titled Slough (shower door) was created in response to Ms. Peterson’s 2017 installation Crust, (tub, vanity, and towel). The work is a material exploration of glass in multiple states and intimate spaces. A washroom is a place of daily ritual, and the doorway created by the layers of glass, hair, and wax is a barrier between the places of undress. We ask the viewer to contemplate the tiny bits of skin and traces of ourselves that we leave behind.