Biological Stained Glass (100x magnification) – Purple Heart / Spiderwort / Tradescantia Pallida
hand cut stained glass, laser cut & hand finished wood, led light
Biological Stained Glass (200x magnification) – Purple Heart / Spiderwort / Tradescantia Pallida
hand cut stained glass, laser cut & hand finished wood, led light, silver inlay
Inspired by the microscopy of Elizabeth A. Elliott, M.S. – Research Specialist in the Richard M. Dillaman Bioimaging Facility and plants grown in the Kresge greenhouse by Mia Aguilar at the University of North Carolina Wilmington
Biological Stained Glass invites us to look closely—through glass, through memory, and through the living structures that connect us to other species and cultures. In this series, Gene A. Felice II explores new, ecologically conscious methods of working with stained glass, reimagining a traditionally toxic artform through processes of “making-with” both material and memory. By replacing lead with laser-cut wood framing, paired with digitally designed and hand-polished glass structures, Felice creates hybrid works that merge digital fabrication with tactile craft. In 200x Magnification, microscopic starch granules become sites of translation: laser-engraved and inlaid with silver pigment, their botanical structures shimmer on the glass surface, evoking both cellular intimacy and the plant’s own variegated sheen.
The Purple Heart / Spiderwort / Tradescantia Pallida series extends this material practice into familial and ecological interdependence. As a part of their immigration story, Felice’s grandmother brought fig and tomato seeds from her home country, along with agricultural and culinary traditions. These inherited customs and the love of growing and living with plants are often passed down from one generation to the next. The Purple Heart originated in Central America, but eventually spread as a non-human companion, becoming a sometimes-invasive stranger in a new land. Once referred to by the problematic colloquial name “Wandering Jew,” its adaptive nature mirrors diasporic movement and resilience. It has been grown by many, including Felice’s grandmother, joining the diverse array of plants cultivated by immigrants as they seek solace as citizens in a new and unfamiliar place. Through these works, stained glass becomes a medium of sympoiesis — a site where botany, migration, craft, and technology co-create narratives of adaptation, inheritance, and ecological kinship.