Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

'Crystal Crusher' rolls two passions together

Whanganui Chronicle
26 Jan, 2016 04:03 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

WHANGANUI PEOPLE know her for her passion for roller derby, but Emma Camden is now revealing her other passion: cast glass.

Camden's exhibition, Now, is on display at the Sarjeant On The Quay's i-Site gallery until March 2016. It's a retrospective of her work over the past 12 years.

It's rare for Camden to have an exhibition in Whanganui as her work is mostly shown and sold outside of Whanganui, including overseas. Her last exhibition was at SOFA Chicago in the United States.

Camden has been making glass for more than two decades, but took up roller derby only five years ago.

"There is absolutely nothing that my two personalities have in common with each other, except that both have to be very strong."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

While the strength needed for playing the high-contact sport of roller derby is obvious, Camden says working with large pieces of cast glass also requires a lot of physical strength.

"It's revolting work, it's very hard, and incredibly physically demanding. Each one of these pieces takes between two and six months to make, going through different stages. The last stage involves dipping the piece in acid."

Camden is a member of Whanganui-based West Coast Bombers, where she is known by her derby name, Crystal Crusher (a reference to the 45per cent lead crystal glass that she crushes to make her work).

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Roller derby keeps me incredibly fit," she says.

"I know I wouldn't be making such large and ambitious glass if I wasn't so fit."

Camden's work catches the eye with its angular forms and brilliant, yet moody, colours.

There's an architectural influence, with many of the works referencing towers, pyramids and passages.

She says her work often expresses her demons.

"It talks about problems, about my mother passing away, about religion and my inability to find a spiritual label."

Camden admits that sometimes her glass world and her roller derby world collide.

"Do I wear my skates while making glass? Yes, I do - my studio is very big and I roll around and get everywhere faster."

Camden said she could not do her work without the support of her husband, David Murray, who is also a talented glass artist.

She's also grateful to staff at Sarjeant On The Quay, particularly Greg Donson, and Creative New Zealand for funding.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

Search for missing man continues after car pulled from river

10 Jul 11:09 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

Community group seeks to manage historic reserve

10 Jul 06:00 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

Chaos as Ruapehu council rejects officials' advice on water

10 Jul 03:15 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Search for missing man continues after car pulled from river

Search for missing man continues after car pulled from river

10 Jul 11:09 PM

Kahukura Gill was not inside the car, which was found in the Whanganui River on July 2.

Community group seeks to manage historic reserve

Community group seeks to manage historic reserve

10 Jul 06:00 PM
Chaos as Ruapehu council rejects officials' advice on water

Chaos as Ruapehu council rejects officials' advice on water

10 Jul 03:15 AM
Strong winds bring weather warning and watches

Strong winds bring weather warning and watches

10 Jul 03:00 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP