WAKEFIELD. The Contemporary Glass Society presents a conference that explores the use of glass in sculptural and architectural contexts to modulate light, create a sense of space, prooke thought, soothe, entertain and educate. Set in the inspirational environment of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, the conference will take the form of lectures, seminars and panel discussions, and will: Look at outstanding architectural glass work within the context of a building.

-Show sculptural work that harmonises with the environments - inside or out

-Reflect on great public glass-art - why and how it works

-Explore some practical aspects of creative practice in these areas

Speakers include Howard Ben Tré, Danny Lane, Keiko Mukaide, Silvia Levenson, George Papadopoulos and Andrew Moor.

Howard Ben Tré is internationally recognized for his unique sculptures and large-scale works of art for public and private spaces. Ben Tré is a pioneer in the use of cast glass as a sculptural medium and in outdoor installation. His lecture will encompass recent public and private projects, including the redesign of the town centre of Warrington, UK; Target Headquarters Plaza in the US; a private residence in Israel.

Danny Lane's sculpture and furniture ranges in scale from the domestic, to his massive Borealis, one of the world's largest glass sculptures at the GM Renaissance Center, Detroit, USA. Lane trained as a painter and drawing is fundamental to his art. He explores line in two and three dimensions, driven by a need to challenge the limits of the possible in glass, steel, wood and light.

Keiko Mukaide believes that art works best when the artist has engaged the energy within the space, in other words, the glass is transformed into a medium rather than a material, when the piece has been accepted by the energy of a place. Since 2000, she has developed a number of ambitious temporary installations including Light of the North at Tate St Ives in 2006 and the hugely sucessful Memory of Place at York St Mary's church in 2007-8.

Silvia Levenson's sculptures and installations are not focused on the beauty of glass itself, but on its potential of expression. It investigates her life, her past and what is around her. It evokes political events such as the Argentinian dictatorship and migrations, her own origins (her grandmother and father emigrated to Argentina from Russia), and the stresses of daily life.

Unlike most artists working in glass, George Papadopoulos treats his medium with a healthy disrespect. Papadopoulos breaks, colours and textures sheets of industrial glass and then re-laminates them to make architecturel-scale artworks that look fragile but are extremely durable. These works express the in-built paradoxes of glass: that it is commonplace and extraordinary, visible and invisible, dangerous and strong. He is the author of the A&C Black book, Glass Lamination.

Andrew Moor is one of the UK's top glass art consultants and an expert on the commissioning of architectural glass features for buildings. The use of coloured is flourishing in the Architectural world, and Moor will explore the dialogue between Architects and Glass Artists and survey some of the benefits and difficulties that this relationship can engender.