Timo Sarpaneva

Did Sarpaneva have any favourite pieces among his works? If one had to be named, it might be the “Kayak”. The original piece was born in the 1950s, when glass was not understood as a material for sculpture.

Timo often returned to masterpieces from his youth in his stories, and it is no wonder that he began his work in Murano with precisely these forms and techniques. "The “Kayak” can be about a meter long and in the following colours - black, ruby, amethyst or blue – Remind me to make colour schemes when we get to the hotel." The colour schemes were made in the evening in the quiet restaurant hall of a small Venetian hotel. Pino Signoretto created the coloured “Kayak” sculptures posthumously in 2009.

The core of the Black Kayak is clear glass lined with a thin layer of black glass at the edges and bottom. The surface is clear glass. Due to its shape, the work looks completely black. The black cased glass is placed on the surface of the clear core with a coiling technique reminiscent of making pottery. The thick coating thins as the process of making of the ”Kayak” progresses and it gains its final strength in the final cutting. This thechnique is visible at the tips of the sculpture. Three black Kayaks were completed in 2009. Unfortunately, one broke in Italy during its transportation.

Marjatta Sarpaneva