In 1965, a special presentation of glass objects took place in Bergeijk (a town south of Eindhoven) with the motto: ‘Play of Glass and Light’.
From the 4th of July until the 5th of September, the landscaped park of Weverij De Ploeg (once a well-known weaving company famous for its textiles) hosted glass objects from for example Willem Heesen (a pioneer in the field of free glass art) and ‘unique specimen’ from the Leerdam glass factory by A.D. Copier. Meanwhile, the contribution by Wim T. Schippers consisted of ‘a heap of glass shards’.
While preparing a Schippers retrospective during the late nineteen nineties, I asked Martin Visser – who had worked as a designer for De Ploeg – about documentation. I gathered that he was involved in selecting Schippers for the show.
He wrote:
Yes, together with Ulf Moritz, we got the idea to ask Copier whether they would also accept a contribution from us. Ulf and I felt the need to enlighten the ‘Copier atmosphere’ somewhat and came up with Wim Schippers.
Truck loads with broken glass were brought in from nearby Eindhoven, even accompanied by police on motorcycles.
‘Play of Glass and Light’, Bergeijk, 1965; on the left the contribution by Wim T. Schippers.
