Generally perceived as a private space despite the public setting, photo booths lead us to do everything from the mundane smile to outlandish acts. Capturing these moments, the photo strip serves as a marker of place and time, either to be remembered and cherished forever or left behind for others to discover.
Sarah Gilbert utilizes this imagery to investigate portraiture through engraved and cut glass. In Gilbert’s narrative works, these spontaneous and momentary photographic moments are indelibly etched in glass, shifting our perception of a modern moment from fleeting to permanent. Traditionally used to document the staid and treasured for a lifetime, Gilbert utilizes cameo engraving techniques to alter the narrative of the modern souvenir.
Originally from Rochester, New York, Gilbert began blowing glass in 2000. Since 2006 she has been a member of the Museum of Glass Hot Shop Team, assisting artists from around the world. Her first solo exhibition at Vetri, Perfect Strangers is a demonstration of Gilbert’s unique ability to construct stories utilizing the time-honored process of cameo engraving.