The commission

The library in the Brugse Poort at Ghent has asked Maria Roosen to create a work of art. They wanted something with coloured glass, but they thought that this material would be too fragile. The commissioners told Maria more about the community, about the flux of different nationalities living there. While exploring the neighbourhood, she discovered pigeon breeders in the area. You can see the backside of the houses from the library, where the pigeon houses stand. She decided to make pigeons of glass and went looking for the ideal glass- blower to do the job, ending up in Venice. Pino Signoretto turned out to be perfect for the job. The making process is shown in a movie at the library. The pigeons themselves can be seen in the library.

Maria Roosen

Maria Roosen (Oisterwijk 1957) often makes her works of art in glass. This makes the works beautiful yet fragile. She uses ordinary forms in a surprising context, like milk cans or roots, for example. With these projects she gained fame. 'I often create images that are realized by others. A glassmaker puts my thoughts into form, adds his skills and the result is a third, new element. Something like man, woman, child.' Maria doesn't only work with glass, she also knits, uses feathers or makes pictures. Every commission has its own situation and form, but also its own material.