Glass: Who were the biggest competitors you were worried about going into the taping of the show? But with that first assignment to do something about my evolution, I had time to reflect on it, and there was a cathartic release about when my Dad died and all this shit happened. I don't know if it's as you get older, you get more open-ended in your work, but I've noticed that a lot of my hero artists and musicians have gotten that way as they matured. Moran: My work has gotten less overt in its political critique over the past four years but yes, legally I wasn't able to use any corporate imagery. Did the show steer you away from this side of your work? Glass: What about the work you made for the show, which seemed much more personal than the social critique I associate with a lot of your glass artwork. Everybody started making personal stuff pretty quickly, and that opened up a lot of stories when you started talking about your work. We just went in all these directions in our work - it wasn't fed to us or anything. It was a really tight-knit group of people, and there was no interpersonal drama. I knew four or five of the people going on the show, and there wasn't anybody I didn't know once-removed. When you watch the show, all the characters they chose were just there to compete I think it came out naturally. Moran: I don't know if the backstories and equity we saw on Season Three was deliberate. Glass: I wonder if the producers really selected for people with a strong backstory this time around? Season Three seemed loaded with contestants with very clearly drawn characters, and it also seemed more diverse. John Moran at work on his first project in the first episode of Blown Away, Season Three. It becomes this drama that isn't really there. From Season One, everybody loved Deborah [Czeresko} even though she can be intense, and the outside world might have perceived all these other layers, but she's a sweetheart. While Chris Taylor seemed like the evil guy, Elliot told me everybody loved him on set. Moran: I ended up talking with Elliot Walker before I went on Season Three, and he said there really weren't any rivalries in Season Two. Glass: Were you worried at all they would stoke rivalries and create bad blood between the competing glass artists? I remember Christopher Taylor was made out to be a really scheming character in Season Two. It seemed like the perfect thing to do during the pandemic. Moran: It seemed like it was fun, and so many friends had done it. Glass: What made you so intent on getting on the show? I spent a lot more time on the video and got it the second try. John Moran: That's right, I tried but didn't get on for Season Two, and I realized it was because I spent a lot of time on the questionnaire but only a few minutes putting together my video. Glass Quarterly Hot Sheet: I understand you tried out for Blown Away Season Two and didn't get selected, right? What inspired you to try again for the third season? The Winter 2019 edition of Glass (#157) featuring a critical discussion of John Moran's work. Against arguably the strongest grouping of glass artists in the three seasons, Moran made it to the final rounds of the program (you'll have to watch it to see if he won), and we are pleased to present an in-depth conversation about his experience. In her feature article on Moran ( Winter 2019, Glass #157) Glass contributing editor Emma Park wrote: "Moran has become known for works that are satirical and shocking, with unflinching portrayals of human suffering." Given his view of the "absurdity and hypocrisy of society," it is somewhat surprising that Moran not only took part as a contestant in the third season of Netflix reality show Blown Away, but deemed it "an incredible experience" in an exclusive interview with the Glass Quarterly Hot Sheet. John Moran, whose no-holds-barred hot-sculpted works have taken on sacred religious icons as well as cultural ones such as Mickey Mouse, McDonald's, and Osama Bin Laden, identifies himself on his Belgium Studio's website as a "politically and socially engaged hot glass sculptor." Writing about his work on his website, Moran states he sees "the barrage of consumerism, religion, and politics colliding with depictions of social injustice, secular beliefs, and popular culture," and he is unafraid of engaging controversial subjects as he works out of Gent (sic) Glas, the nonprofit studio he founded in 2014 in Ghent, Belgium.
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