Isolde Submission Number 4072238162

**Isolde**

*Isolde* is a sculptural stained glass portrait exploring the tension between wholeness and fracture. Emerging from a field of scattered fragments, the figure appears suspended between construction and dissolution, her form simultaneously breaking apart and becoming something new.

Built from individually cut pieces of stained glass and mounted within a deep charcoal frame, the work extends beyond the traditional boundaries of stained glass into three-dimensional space. The protruding profile invites viewers to move around the piece, revealing shifting reflections, shadows, and perspectives that change with the surrounding light.

Two suspended crosses remain among the fragments, serving as quiet symbols of faith, memory, and perseverance. Rather than depicting destruction, the work examines transformation—the way identity is shaped through loss, resilience, and the continual act of rebuilding.

The title, *Isolde*, references a legendary figure associated with devotion, sacrifice, and enduring love. Like the heroine who inspired her name, the figure exists between opposing forces, carrying both fragility and strength within a single form.

As light moves across the glass, the portrait continuously changes, suggesting that neither identity nor healing is fixed. What appears broken from one perspective may reveal unexpected beauty from another.

Submission Number 4072238162