Kardia
By William Cochran
Category: Miscellaneous
About
Kardia is a brilliantly colored glass artwork in the east wall of the Regional Arts Commission gallery. Kardia–Greek for heart–is the metaphoric heart muscle of the St. Louis arts community, its four chambers powered by the ideas, cooperation and energy of many people. The artist asked residents of all backgrounds and ages to describe unforgettable encounters with artists of their work. The fragments of these memories were then carved into the exterior surface of Kardia. This formal text design contrasts with the energy of the interior face, expressed by the rushing, spiraling patterns of color, made of deeply acid-etched mouth-blown glass.
Dimensions: 10′
Year Completed: 2003
Material: Glass
Owner: Regional Arts Comission
About the artist:
William Cochran
Artist Bio: b. 1955
Cochran employs both traditional and contemporary techniques, collaborating with Derix Glass Studios in Taunustein, Germany, on the fabrication of the architectural art glass elements in his work. He was the first American to be invited to Keim Mineral Paints in Augsburg, Germany, for in-depth training in the legendary 120-year-old mural technique of Purkristalat, which creates murals that last for many decades and are impervious to everything from fire to acid rain. He creates public artworks in paint, glass, masonry, bronze, steel, and light. These projects frequently engage the community directly in the creative process. They explore local history and the meaning of place in ways that illuminate common ground such as in the piece, Kardia.
