Explore and celebrate craft and all it can entail.

 

The topic I chose for this project was glassblowing. Whilst researching, I spent two full days with two different glassbowers. One had a small studio in Nottingham and the other in Matlock Bath. Whilst spending time with both artists, I found out the true skill and understanding that goes into producing beautiful glass blown pieces. My concept was formed from my research, when 
interviewing both Stuart and Anthony they both expressed how important using their hands is in glassblowing.

 

Created a book where you turn and rotate the pages like the glassblower would with his glass. The book is formed of the images I took at both Stuart and Anthony’s studios. The idea of textured stock and the glossy glass also formed an interesting concept within the book as the stark contrast between their environment and the glass is shown.

 

These pages below show how the book is rotated when read. The quotes are on the same angle, meaning they can’t be read without turning the book. The idea of rotation within the book mimics what the glassblower has to do with the glass and reenforces the hands concept.

 

 

There are two pages within the book that pull out to become a large image, they mimic the expansion that goes on within glassblowing, whilst also showing the repetition that goes into rotating the glass in the glory hole.

 

The textured paper within the book represents the rough surroundings and tools that the Anthony and Stuart use in their studios. I wanted there to be a stark comparison between the smooth, glossy glass and the rough textured surroundings like the front cover (glory hole) and the middle of the book (yellow pages), in which Anthony uses as one of his tools.  

 

The tracing paper within the book is used for just the quotes and not the images. I wanted them to be seperate so that the text could be rotated without the image being moved. I think it also adds intregue as to what is beneath, as the photograph is slightly frosted.