The Ceiling – Stefania Urist

The Ceiling
Stefania Urist
Slumped and leaded glass, copper, wood
2019

This folly, an ornamental building, with its curved glass roof and opening at the top is reminiscent of a birth canal, a reference to mother nature. The structure blurs the lines between nature and architecture, growth and construction, and masculinity and femininity. The glass tiles resemble terra cotta roofing tiles but are not watertight or weather resistant. Urist explains, “Rather than shielding humans from nature, this structure interacts with it.” The glass ceiling, a cultural reference to limitations placed on women or other marginalized communities, can be moved through rather than shattered.