Banking on stained glass for impact

Press, 17 May 1989, Page 21

Banking on stained glass for impact

By

SUZANNE KEEN

Art and the highfinance world of banking are combining in a project underway by a Christchurch company and the Bank of New Zealand. When the new B.N.Z. house opens in Cathedral Square, the first thing that will greet visitors is a huge, brightly-coloured stained glass window. Graphic Glass, the Christchurch company which will create the 3m by 9m panel, believes it is the South Island’s largest stained glass commission. The studio manager and designer, Mark Fazackerley, says the panel will form a curved wall in the lobby and is designed for instant impact. It will consist of thousands of pieces of white, red, blue and gold-coloured glass. “You could say that it is

slightly surreal in that it almost creates an artificial landscape,” he says. The panel will be artificially lit from behind and contain convex lenses that seem to glitter as people walk towards them. Graphic Glass is at present awaiting the arrival of the German stained glass, and hopes to actually begin construction next month. The official opening ceremony for the bank will be at the end of June, although the glass panel may not be finished by this time. Fazackerley says the commission is one of his biggest projects. Although he and his wife, Jenise, have created works for places such as the St James executive suites in Queenstown and the Dominion Breweries headquarters in Christchurch, much of their work comes from people

wanting stained glass windows in their homes. The economic climate has seen a tapering off of commissions from churches. In many overseas countries stained glass panels in commercial buildings are common. The stained glass association in America has the largest membership of any group in the country. “A lot of people see it as red flowers and green leaves, but we are moving into a new era,” says Fazackerley. “We are going to see a lot more as architects and their clients see that patronising the artists is a good thing to do.” He believes Christchurch is likely to see more of thee 8.N.Z.-type panel in the future. "Christchurch has never seen anything like this in interior design.”