FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE VIRGINIA DOGWOOD FLOWER RE-IMAGINED IN GLASS
Longtime Virginia Artists Markow & Norris Transform Virginia State Flower Into a Woven Glass Sculpture for the Ritz Carlton, Tysons Corner
Washington, DC. February 1st 2012 – The enigmatic artistic duo of Markow & Norris, who developed a revolutionary technique of glass weaving, have been commissioned by the Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner in McLean, Virginia to create a one-of-a-kind sculpture. The sculpture, Spring Dogwood, has just been unveiled this week to the astonishment of hotel residents and visitors.
“We are thrilled that the Ritz-Carlton has commissioned a sculpture of ours,” said Eric Markow. “We used a great deal of reflective glass that will glisten in the light and we hope that visitors of this esteemed hotel will find our piece a warm greeting to this beautiful state.”
With respective backgrounds in chemical engineering and biology, Eric Markow and Thom Norris are famous for uniting science and art in a delicately choreographed process of manipulating blazing glass into seemingly impossible sculptures that break boundaries and challenge the laws of physics. The sculpture, Spring Dogwood, will be given “pride-of-place” at the Ritz. It will be placed in the newly redesigned lobby above a cozy fireplace near the reception desk.
Spring Dogwood is a representation of the Virginia state flower, the White Dogwood. Based on the artists’ own dogwood trees in their woodland garden, of which their pet parrots Simon & Sidney enjoying eating its colorful dogberries, Spring Dogwood is yet another approach to woven glass. Dogwood trees are ubiquitous in Virginia gardens and landscaping. Markow & Norris have incorporated negative space into the design with multiple panels of woven glass layered with multi-dimensional woven glass flowers, and narrow gaps between the glass panels designed to showcase the stained wooden walls behind the piece as the branches of the dogwood tree. Spring Dogwood incorporates a layering of more than 30 colors, including 25 variations on the color white, and perspective – with slightly smaller flowers at the top and larger flowers near the base.
The hand-created glass beads represent the stamen of the flowering head. Guests of the hotel and curious local residents will have the feeling of standing beneath a dogwood tree in full bloom. The conceptualization, design and realization of Spring Dogwood took more than 6 months.
Markow & Norris, in-demand artists for their unique skill-set, interrupted the creation of their acclaimed life-sized Kimono Series, the world’s largest woven glass sculptures, to create this one-of-a-kind creation for the Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner. “This is our first major work in our local area that is permanently on display to the public, and in such a beautiful hotel in a prestigious area,” said Thom Norris. “We worked very hard to make sure that our work was harmoniously incorporated into their redesigned lobby.”
Located in Northern Virginia’s most exclusive business and shopping district, the Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner Hotel was named one of the top 50 hotels in the United States by Condé Nast’s Travelers Reader’s Choice Awards.
Since their debut in 2003, the enigmatic duo of Markow & Norris have taken the art world by storm with their revolutionary woven glass sculptures that continue to bewilder gallerists and art critics alike. The premiere woven glass artists in the world, with a proprietary and distinctive tightly woven technique, Markow & Norris have been featured in over 40 publications, received international news coverage and have exhibited their work in major markets including New York, Chicago, Miami, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. Every Markow & Norris piece is rare, handmade in the artists’ studio to be a one of a kind heirloom. For more information on Markow & Norris, their unique woven glass art or to request collector’s information please visit www.wovenglass.com or call 1-888-282-7081.
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Marcy Clark
Yellow Sky Agency
212.729.9619
Marcy@nullyellowskyagency.com
