During the late 1970s and early 80s, students at the Sydney College of Arts, including Michael Anderson, took a conceptual interest in how the ‘flat glass’ technique could refer to jewellery. This development signalled a new approach to glass art in Australia, with Anderson’s approach taking the medium toward unique and experimental horizons.

In this aptly titled work, Body ornament, Anderson fashions a sculptural bust fused from two sheets of flat glass that are engraved with small pin-prick marks. Anderson introduces a point of material tension by binding the glass pieces together with threaded wire and leather cords. Here, he recalls not only jewellery and how it hangs on the body, but also considers how the body can be visualised as an ornamental shape itself.