Zoja Trofimiuk

GRAVERRE, new glass technique

In 1999 Zoja Trofimiuk created a new glass technique which she calls Graverre.2 It has nothing to do with the German
glass term ‘gravur’ or the English ‘gravure’ (engraving), as it is related to a mixture of other English and French words. The term is
created from the part ‘Gra’ which stands for ‘Graphite’ and ‘verre’ which means ‘glass’ in French. The essence of this method is
quite simple. The graphite or charcoal drawing is fused between layers of the glass sheets. The technique is ideal for capturing
the spontaneity of drawing, one of Zoja Trofimiuk’ strengths that ranks with the mastery of leading Czech draughtsmen such as
František Tichý and František Burant. However one can still ask what the reason is to draw inside glass and not use a classical
sheet of paper instead, which would be much easier. There is an answer: Trofimiuk can count on optical effects that are created
by the Graverre technique when the object is hung a certain distance in front of a wall and lit from the front. Light penetrates both
the glass and the drawing, creating an enlarged shadow that is projected on the wall behind. This creates depth, a third spatial
dimension which would be unthinkable in other kind of material that is not transparent.