Klaus Moje is one of the most visible and recognisable artists around the world for glass, crafts and education. Through his work and teaching, Klaus has assisted the whole of the sector to realise new possibilities for the medium.

Klaus's work utilises traditional processes of glass forming that were established in the times of the Egyptians, which he has restablished and repackaged into original, contemporary works.

In his own studio during the 1970s Klaus unlocked the secretes of the past and began to develop a body of work that offered a very different approach to what was happening in the studio glass movement since its origins in the early 1960s.

Through his work, Klaus inspired a generation of makers in kiln formed glass at a time when studio glass was myopically focused on the furnace and hotshop.

The collective energy around kilforming took hold in the mid 1980s when Klaus was teaching in Canberra and his work gained recognition on the international stage.

Others became inspired by what he had begun, of note is the story of Daniel Schwehorer and Boyce Lundstrum. The result of that dialogue propelled a small company called Bullseye Glass to become the most significant manufacturer of art glass in the world, today employing over 120 people and almost solely dedicated to the manufacture of glass for kiln forming.

Klaus has continued to be an innovator with kilnforming as in 1998 when he, along with Kirstie Rea and Scott Chaseling, developed the 'roll-up' technique that combined areas of kiln work with hot, furnace glass techniques.

In this way, and many others, Klaus has continued to be a driver and innovator. But despite these significant leaps they have always been dwarfed by the outcomes of his work.

Looking at the work here tonight it's clear that what he has accomplished would have been impossible to achieve in any other medium or material.

Klaus' work is unashamadable about the dialogue between the artist and the material and his work has an energy and vitality that transcends its historical links.

What has been a clear influence on his work has been Australia. The imagery and energy of this land has, over the past 24 years, had a profound effect on the aesthetic development of his contemporary pallet and the loose explosive structure of his glass has been influenced by the raw and intense nature of the Australia bush.

The composition of his contemporary work still has a structure that was apparent in his early work. However, by pushing the material to its limits, the formality of lines are more abstracted and are only able to be controlled because of his absolute understanding of viscosity and heat.

His contemporary work has been compared to abstract expressionist painting, and Klaus has repeatedly resisted this need for contextulisation through the fine arts. His work does not rely on the support, interpretation or validation through the cannons of mainstream art.

He has remained true to this material and his vision for glass for over 50 years.

Klaus' achievements have been widely recognised throughout his long career in Australia and overseas.

These are, of course, highlights, of the recognition bestowed to him.

One of the significant achievements is his contribution to education.

In 1982 Klaus was invited by then director of the School of Art in Canberra, Udo Sellbach to begin a program in education of glass.

Klaus moved from Germany, with his wife Brigitte, to accept this offer as he wanted to make a contribution to teaching. His goal was to start a program from scratch and to establish an approach to education in glass that was different to what was emerging from other locations.

Klaus had visited Pilchuck in the US and become endeared to the artists of the US glass movement and emergent university and summer school programs.

But Klaus had fundamentally different ideas about education and he built a program that from its first graduates became recognised as one of the most successful in the world.

Klaus is a strong leader in education but he is also part maverick. He has a clear vision, a high regard for innovative thought while also maintaining a healthy disregard for bureaucracy and established ways of thinking and doing.

This may seem a contrast for a master crafts-person but it is precisely the mix of qualities within his personality that has shaped him.

In his approach to teaching, Klaus understood the importance of material awareness as distinct from the sole teaching of craft practice. He taught through example: a confident and informed approach about the material that was an extension of one's thinking, making and being.

He saw the medium of glass as integral to the crafts but never felt that the sector was endangered and needing to be bolstered up or paraded around for public understanding and recognition.

He laughed at the craft / art debate, resisted the bulldozing of crafts ideology into a post-modern dialogue and he resited also the conflating of glass, or any crafts, into being just another material for sculpture.

But he did also welcome reforms to the sector, as when the Australia Council combined the Crafts Board and the Visual Arts board because, as he said,

"Good practitioners and their practices in any field go beyond classification".

I remember being the skinny kid, rocking up for an interview to seek entry to the program: Klaus asked me, "What do you what to do and what do you want to be? ..."

I had little idea how exactly to answer, but must have mumbled enough to convince him I was worth a punt.

At the end of the interview, I indicated that I had brought all my official transcripts and references and did he want to see these? Klaus laughed and said, 'I am sure they say you're are a good boy, but that I am not interested in those things'

He was interested in what his students thought and what they had to say.

A similar approach was taken with the course structure ... there wasn't one! Students needed to bring their own. It was the individual ideas that were important to driving the bus of discovery.

I have clear, fond memories of Klaus' first years of teaching in Canberra. Klaus conducted the Workshop as if it were a community of professional working artists. Constant contact and exploration of the glass and was the philosophy. The main focus was to work and work and work; to discover within the material what lay inside ourselves.

While this introspection was an important part of the development of the artist, Klaus also turned the attention of his students towards the international community.

His teaching environment was always populated by visiting artists because he believed the experience of different perspectives were of paramount importance. Often these visiting artists were funded out of his own salary.

Despite leaving the education building over 15 years ago, his contribution can still be felt.

Klaus was the architect of a program that has had a considerable affect on glass all over the world. Today his former students are the visiting artists within educational programs around the planet. Over 70% of all his graduates continue as makers and the vast majority have internationally recognised careers. This percentage of success is still achieved by the School of Art, Glass Workshop today.

With all these achievements Klaus is quick to point out the support he has had along the way.

And to quickly acknowledge a couple: Professor David Williams, who, as former Director of the School of Art for many of the years Klaus was head, championed the vision Klaus had for the glass program. And at home, Klaus has had unwavering support from his family through his wife, Brigitte, and his two sons Amos and Danilo. Brigitte, who in her own right is a highly regarded ceramic artist and designer, has been a constant strength and together they have enjoyed an adventurous life from urban Germany to rural south coast Australia.

Tonight is an opportunity to look back to the great achievements for Klaus over the past 50 years. But it is also an opportunity to look forward.

For the past 9 years a group of artists has worked collaboratively in Canberra on the development of a glass access facility for artists.

The project has been supported by many glass artists and one of the strongest advocates has been Klaus Moje.

He was involved in the early planning of the facility and played a key role lobbying local government about the merits of this project .

In March next year, Canberra Glassworks will open its doors to artists and public. This 11 million dollar facility is a landmark project for the ACT government who has been impressed by the talent of artist emerging from the Australian National University.

This facility is just the latest contribution Klaus has made in assisting to build the Australian and international glass movement.

A movement that has been inerasably strengthened by the efforts, energy and work of a man we call papa.

 

Klaus Moje:Glass exhibition was opened at Object Gallery, Surry Hill in Sydney on 10 November, 2006.