Boiling Glass [illustration for ‘Folio 2, Dances 8-13’] 1971

Curator: It's interesting to consider Ian Tyson’s "Boiling Glass," an illustration for ‘Folio 2, Dances 8-13’ residing here at the Tate. The modular structure immediately gives me the feeling of a Mondrian, but with a much warmer palette. Editor: Right, that grid—it's so rigid, yet those blocks of color have a pulsating, almost organic quality. Does it evoke dance for you? Curator: The title itself is so evocative—"Boiling Glass." Perhaps Tyson is suggesting the transformative heat of artistic creation, the way societal pressures shape us into something new. Editor: Maybe. Or maybe it's about the tension between control—the grid—and letting go, allowing the raw emotion, like molten glass, to take shape. It's contained, but it's ready to burst. Curator: A compelling thought, the push and pull of forces. It enriches my appreciation to consider that tension. Editor: For me, it's a reminder that even within structures, things are always in flux, always becoming.