And then there is Colm Tóibín

Steven Cohen - South African Artist. Original Commission for Mayor of Johannesburg 1992
Collection Eugene Hon.

For the past five years, since being redeployed; lecturing and pursuing my creative endeavours as a ceramist, I had doubts about the subject matter of my ceramic statements. Followers of this blog and especially the development of the concepts of my ceramic statements, will undoubtedly have asked the question, why is he so obsessed with gay related issues at a time, when to quote the author Colm Tóibín, '.......the phrase post-gay is slowly becoming current' (Toibin, 2001;7). That maybe true in the West, where being gay presents no real threat and obstacles - to live the 'American dream'. However gays and or homosexuals on the continent of Africa, the Middle East and Asia still face very serious threats. 

Battles are being won on various fronts, but the war on discrimination is entering a new phase - fueled on by the fundamentalist determination to be heard, seen and their expressed views felt. 

On Friday I woke-up to a BBC interview with Colm Tóibín and I was hooked. Yesterday I purchased a few of his books - reading matter for the summer recess - mmmmmm. Inspired by his remarkable insight into the plight of gays, I embarked on reading his book, titled Love in a dark time; Gay lives from Wilde to Almodovar, and needless to say it restored my confidence in my subject matter.


He asks the question whether it matters that we expose the true sexual identity of influential artists of the nineteenth and twentieth century (especially those that kept their homosexuality secret). His research reveals the impact of a changing world on their lives and their work. 


'It matters because as gay readers and writers become more visible and confident, and gay politics more settled and serious, gay history becomes a vital element in gay identity, just as Irish history does in Ireland, or Jewish history amongst Jewish people'(Tóibín, 2001:7)


However it is the following quotes that really had the most significant impact. He states that whilst other communities who were oppressed (Jews, Catholics and post Apartheid Africans) 'have every opportunity to work out the implications of their oppression in their early lives. They hear the stories; they have the books around them. Gay people, on the other hand, grow up alone; there is no history. There are no ballads about the wrongs of the past, the martyrs are all forgotten' (Tóibín, 2001:9). He quotes Adrienne Rich's phrase 'you looked into the mirror and saw nothing'.

He states, 'the discovery of a history and a heritage has to be made by each individual as part of the road to freedom, or at least knowledge, but it also has serious implications for readers and critics who are not particularly concerned about gay identity, and it also has serious dangers' (Tóibín, 2001:9).

His words of wisdom serves as a personal affirmation; addressing an ambiguous past, and to ensure the future as libertine.

Exquisite Holmegaard Glass as captured with the very special SONY NEX-5

Per Lütken (1916-1998) Heart vase designed for Holmegaard in 1958.

Friday I decided to purchase a new camera - my old camera being the Canon A-1 bought in Hong Kong in 1984. Most of the images posted on this blog over the past two years were taken with my Cell phone camera and a small digital camera from work. I received advice from numerous individuals, including recommendations from my very own brother, Alan Hon - as to the ultimate choice of camera for my particular needs. At first it was a toss-up between the Nikon D3100, the Canon EOS 500D and or a Sony Alpha. In the end, after much thought, and a convincing recommendation from a colleague at work, Angus Campbell (an Industrial Designer), I purchased the new compact Sony Alpha NEX-5. The compact and lightweight design being the deciding factors. I could not face walking round with a bulky camera whilst on holiday- like a true Japanese tourist.

Sony NEX-5

Needless to say that Friday afternoon and early Saturday morning was spent trying out the new toy in my studio - the back 'stoep' (balcony floor) with its neutral grey cement finish. The lighting is absolutely perfect as the posted photos will testify.  

Per Lütken (1916-1998) Heart vase (1958).

I decided to photograph three products from my small collection of fifties glass, especially the Holmegaard heart vase (one of two in my collection) and two of seven rectangle tube vases (all different colour combinations). The two types of vases compliment each other, as the heart shaped vases resembles the female and the rectangular tube like vase, reminiscent of a condom, the male equivalent. 

Per Lütken (1916-1998) Heart vase

Per  Lütken (1965)
by Erling Mandelmann

The heart shaped vases are attributed to the danish glass maker Per Lütken (1916-1998). He designed more than 3000 pieces for Holmegaard from 1942 until his death in 1998. The pieces in my collection was designed during the late fifties and early sixties. I am particularly interested in them because of the symbolic aspect of their design (heart shaped). The other vase in my collection has a smokey black interior.





The following rectangle tube vases are very special to me, especially the first one, clear glass with smokey black tube interior. I am not sure of the designer or the factory that produced these - please can anyone assist me in this regard. I have searched the Internet and I am sorry to say none the wiser. I will be most grateful if someone can even assist with where to start looking for the origin of these vases.

Please could you leave your comments regarding the photos, the quality of the lighting, styling of the images and the vases themselves. Very soon I will post images of my entire collection. As soon as I get feedback on the designer and the factory that produced these vases.