UK artist Alison Stott has created a new glass and light artwork – entitled Naturally Focused – that is inspired by the work of theoretical physicist Michael Berry from the University of Bristol.
Stott, who recently competed an MA in glass at Arts University Plymouth, spent over two decades previously working in visual effects for film and television, where she focussed on creating photorealistic imagery.
Her studies touched on how complex phenomena can arise from seemingly simple set-ups, for example in a rotating glass sculpture lit by LEDs.
“My practice inhabits the spaces between art and science, glass and light, craft and experience,” notes Stott. “Working with molten glass lets me embrace chaos, indeterminacy, and materiality, and my work with caustics explores the co-creation of light, matter, and perception.”
The new artwork is based on “caustics” – the curved patterns that form when light is reflected or refracted by curved surfaces or objects
The focal point of the artwork is a hand-blown glass lens that was waterjet-cut into a circle and polished so that its internal structure and optical behaviour are clearly visible. The lens is suspended within stainless steel gyroscopic rings and held by a brass support and stainless stell backplate.
The rings can be tilted or rotated to “activate shifting field of caustic projections that ripple across” the artwork. Mathematical equations are also engraved onto the brass that describe the “singularities of light” that are visible on the glass surface.
The work is inspired by Berry’s research into the relationship between classical and quantum behaviour and how subtle geometric structures govern how waves and particles behave. Theoretical physicist Michael Berry wins 2025 Isaac Newton Medal and Prize
Berry recently won the 2025 Isaac Newton Medal and Prize, which is presented by the Institute of Physics, for his “profound contributions across mathematical and theoretical physics in a career spanning over 60 years”.
Stott says that working with Berry has pushed her understanding of caustics. “The more I learn about how these structures emerge and why they matter across physics, the more compelling they become,” notes Stott. “My aim is to let the phenomena speak for themselves, creating conditions where people can directly encounter physical behaviour and perhaps feel the same awe and wonder I do.”
The artwork will go on display at the University of Bristol following a ceremony to be held on 27 November.
