Bell's cube sculptures and glass installations are incredibly mesmerizing, his works being defined by the Californian "Light and Space" movement which came about in the sixties as a response to the East Coast environment. The distinctive textures of his pieces are the result of a process called 'thin film deposition' where surfaces, in his case glass, are coated with metal alloys in a vacuum chamber, altering the way light is reflected and absorbed by the material. This allows him to create illusions of depth through patterns and 'mists' that emerge from the layering of glass and which expands into the gallery space. The artist gives the viewer the freedom to make their own conclusions about his sculptures as the randomness and spontaneity of the reflection and absorption of light through his cubes and hanging sculptures such as in his Light Knot series will vary depending on perspective.
I am particularly interested in his polyester sculptures and the way their colour and shape give them the appearance of smoke. The way the material reflects light makes it look quite metallic, giving me the impression of something alien.
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