An Artful Installation
The Columbaria
With the exception of some trim work, which needs to be fabricated, the columbaria from the sanctuary of the original St. Martin's church building has been installed in our sanctuary. Hanging on either side of the altar they depict archangels and are made with Venetian glass mosaics with a technique that increases the way light reflects off of the glass tiles. If you look closely you will even see reflective gold glass in the design. The pieces were designed by Columbian artist William Vasquez.
The "Chapel" Windows
Originally these windows hung in the chapel of the original St. Martin's church building. They have been installed on either side of our front doors. The windows depict St. Mary Magdalene encountering the risen Christ. The windows are made using a technique developed in France called Dalle de Verre.
The technique was developed by Jean Gaudin in Paris in the 1930s. Slabs of colored glass, 20 centimeters (7.9 in) to 30 centimeters (12 in) square or rectangular and typically up to 3 centimeters (1.2 in) thick, are shaped by breaking with a hammer or cutting with a saw. The edges of the resulting pieces may be chipped or faceted to increase the refraction and reflection effects.
The pieces are laid out to a design, similar to traditional stained-glass work. The pieces are laid on a bed of sand, bounded by a wooden casting frame. A matrix material, sand, and cement or epoxy resin, is poured between the glass pieces and allowed to dry, typically requiring 24 hours to harden. The visible glass faces are then cleaned and the resulting solid panel can be relocated, embedded, or hung as required.
The use of thicker glass produces deeper color effects than traditional lead came stained-glass, especially when illuminated by bright natural or artificial light.
The technique achieved prominence in the stained glass literature of the 1950s and 1960s.
