Water Bag Sculptures Made From Glass, By Dylan Martinez

American artist Dylan Martinez creates hyper-realistic glass-blown sculptures. His illusory series ‘H2O/SiO2’ is made entirely from hot sculpted glass, which depict what appears to be water-filled plastic bags.

While influenced by traditional techniques in glass making, Martinez is interested in avant-garde approaches to change the material completely, eventuating in the unexplainable. The artist’s work challenges the viewer’s expectations through the manipulation of perception. “Sight has the greatest effect on our understanding of the world. What we see is crucial to how we comprehend our surroundings”, explains Martinez in his exhibition statement. The apparent trapped movement of the rising bubbles, combined with the form of the bag itself, convinces the eye that the sculptures are just as they appear. “What is fascinating is that our desires often override our perception of reality”, he continues, “And you believe what you think is visible as the truth”. Martinez’s curiosity with optical perception is driven by the fact that he was born red-green color blind. Thus for Martinez, having a deficit in color vision is “An alternative way of seeing”.

All images © Dylan Martinez