dirty ice
a continuation of the glass alchemy experiments , this project was an exploration of the relationship between glass and metal, particularly copper, which led to the dirty ice lamps.
material study, glass casting & furniture design
it all started with pouring a ladle of molten glass on a sheet of copper.
a beautiful heat patina created here solely through the temperature of the glass.
copper and glass.
the next step was to explore more on the molecular level. copper dust was mixed with molten glass and i treated them at different temperatures to oxidize the copper to it’s different states, indicated by the different colors achieved. tried the same with steel and cobalt carbonate.
copper and glass.
copper and glass.
steel and glass.
in the process of casting the pieces for the experiment.
moving forward with the exploration i wanted to test the potential of more physical connections with metal and glass. i attempted to test copper and glass’s electrical properties by hand braiding copper wires and casting them in glass.
hand braided copper wires cast in glass.
connecting the piece to a circuit to test electrical conductivity.
glass is an excellent insulator, however molten glass is a conductor.
eventually all the exploration and experimentation led to the dirty ice lamp collection. the lamps have a cast glass body with hand braided wire running through it, the shades are made out of hand blown rondels mixed with salts of cobalt, copper and steel.
