Jan 21 2014
Sea Pearl Restaurant and Lounge at Merrifield Town Center has a stunning new addition to its decor – ten new additions, to be precise. Glass artist Alison Sigethy was recently commissioned to create and install her remarkable Sea Core Bubble Tubes throughout the establishment. Working on a tight deadline, the artist had all of the Sea Cores in place prior to the restaurant's busy New Year's Eve celebration.
Sea Core Bubble Tube. (PRNewsFoto/Alison Sigethy, John Spaulding)
When restaurateur Ly Lai saw Sigethy's Sea Core Tubes, she knew they would be ideal for Sea Pearl: "Alison's pieces were unlike anything I had seen, and they were perfect for the theme of my restaurant and the style of my cuisine. Customer response has been outstanding; everyone wants to know who made these amazing, bubbling sculptures."
The Sea Core Bubble Tubes are composed of a clear, extruded glass cylinder filled with water. Sigethy then handcrafts individual glass pieces from a variety of sources to go inside the tubes. Because she uses no molds, each Sea Core is one of a kind. Scientific core samples of the deep ocean floor provided the original inspiration behind these captivating works of sculptural art.
"More than just being pleasing to look at, my mission with the Sea Core Bubble Tubes is to reconnect people with the wonder, mystery and beauty that abounds in the world's oceans," commented Sigethy. "The pieces within the Sea Cores are abstract and organic, evoking both the delicacy of shell and coral and the fluid, kinetic grace of aquatic life forms. The glass I use for the tubes has been sourced from Germany, as I've found its clarity and optic qualities to be unmatched. For the pieces inside the tubes, I use recycled glass whenever possible."
The installation at Sea Pearl is Sigethy's largest to date, with 10 unique Sea Cores, some with as many as 100 individual components suspended inside. Each Sea Core draws inspiration from the restaurant's warm, inviting decor. Warm and cool colors complement each other perfectly, creating a sense of the dynamic world of the sea without being obtrusive. The bubbles rising through the Sea Cores add a further element of surprise, not to mention a hypnotically pleasing sound effect.
Although Sea Pearl's interior design works together with Sigethy's art to provide a holistic look and feel, individual Sea Cores still echo their immediate surroundings. For instance, at the sushi bar, rich colors and forms that resemble shells are the centerpiece. In the lounge area, delicate glass pieces and a more subdued color scheme create just the right sensation upon entering the room, where six gently bubbling Sea Cores enhance the soothing ambiance.
The New Year has been kind to Sigethy in more ways than one; in addition to the immensely popular installation at Sea Pearl, she has been selected as a finalist for the NICHE Award in the category of home furnishings: decorative accessories. Since 1989, the NICHE Awards program has recognized the most talented and innovative fine art craftspeople in the US and Canada.
About the Artist
Alison Sigethy is a professional artist who works out of her studio in the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, Virginia. She graduated from Marymount University in Arlington with degrees in interior design and art history. Today, her work focuses on issues such as ocean conservation, sustainability, ecology and education. She has exhibited her work nationally, along with appearances in American Craft Magazine, Christian Science Monitor, Washington Post and USA Today.
Sigethy's talents extend beyond fine art. She is a skilled kayaker, having competed in the Greenland National Kayak Championships, in which she won eight medals. She has paddled most of the famed and treacherous Northwest Passage. In 2010, Sigethy was a member of the US team at the Harbin Snow and Ice Carving Competition.