Writing - Research

'Mixing with the Best'- CDrom published in 2002

The body of information collected and presented on CDrom is taken from nearly three years of intensive work hosted by the Ceramics and Glass Department at the Royal College of Art, London , between 1999 and 2002, and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Board in the UK .

Excerpts from the Introduction and Conclusion

  Thousands of practitioners around the world are making kiln formed glass on

different scales and with a myriad of styles. The success of all this work depends not only on the ideas and skill of the artists, but on the suitability of the mould mix for its production.

Having worked with kiln formed glass for twenty years both as a practitioner and educator, I felt strongly from the beginning that this project was not only worthwhile personally, but would also play a major role in filling the void of technical information on the subject.

The research focused on kiln casting, particularly on the materials and methods currently used for investment type refractory mould making. It also sought to dispel the myth that there is one ideal 'mould mix', and instead to explore, test and document current practice, looking for potential areas for change and development.

As with most research, the work has raised many more questions than it has answered and scratched the surface of a subject that still holds many more possibilities.

The time is clearly right. In the UK alone there is a steadily growing number of students and practitioners. At least twenty institutions in the UK are now teaching glass at further and higher levels and the membership of the US based Glass Art Society lists more than 350 international practitioners working with kiln cast glass.

The growth in practitioner numbers is important. The widening spectrum of

aesthetic goals set by these practitioners must lead to the development and

expansion of existing techniques. The development of technique follows aesthetic goals - not the other way round. So the more people in the field, the more discovery and knowledge there will be to be shared. It is hoped that some of the contacts created across national boundaries by this research project will play a part in the sharing and handing on of knowledge in a new and more open way.

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