This stark sphere looks like a collection of metal filaments — but it’s actually the work of glass-blower Nancy Callan, who set out to create something that looked monochrome and machine-like. A new exhibition of Callan’s glass work also includes some superhero-inspired bee-stingers.
Callan’s new exhibition at the Concept Art Gallery in Pittsburgh pairs her work with that of the late Robert Lepper, whose sculptures were made out of old machine parts. So Callan aimed to make “Arachne’s Orb” (seen above) harmonize with Lepper’s metallic sculptures.
But Callan also created a few colorful new works, inspired by superheroes. She created new “stingers,” returning to the theme of her “bee butts” series from 2011. The stingers have a color scheme and design inspired by, respectively, Spider-Man, the Green Goblin, and Thor:
