My research is about combining recycled materials with glass structures to produce textile artworks that have unique aesthetic qualities and a considerable lifespan. This thesis examines the technical development of kiln-formed glass voided structures, the aesthetic qualities of colour and softness and the effect of the research experience on my practice. The practical element of the research consisted of 18 experiments inspired by visits to the Seychelles and Barbados. The technical development was informed by concepts of being and non-being and by glass-making processes dating back to 1650 BC in Northern Mesopotamia, as well as fabric manipulation techniques thought to have originated in the fourteenth century in Sicily. Some 37 technical principles were discovered together with documented firing schedules that could be generalised to kiln-formed glass making. In terms of artwork aesthetics a methodology was developed that identified 32 qualities informed by colour theories. To eliminate errors in terminology the origins of each of these colour theories were identified and described using examples of artworks from living artists. The main aesthetic qualities identified were light/dark contrast, colour direction in terms of composition and optical colour mixing, with the latter being traced back to theory associated with early Christian glass mosaics. I also discovered how my roles of artist maker and researcher led to insights that contextualised my practice the most profound of which resulted from revisiting an experimental failure, which led to the identification of a new aesthetic quality of softness based on visual perception rather than tactile response. In my conclusion I describe experiments that link softness to future products and artworks that further explore colour direction, being and non-being.

This research was undertaken from the perspective of an artist working with glass and lampworking techniques. Lampworking involves working with prepared glass tubes and canes which are heated with the aid of a gas burner and shaped with small pincers. This art-based project offers an example of an artist attempt to integrate what might be termed ‘Chinese’ and ‘Western’ lampworking approaches. Through the creation of artworks this project offers a model of artistic practice using lampworking which forms a counterpoint to the more common kilnformed approach currently prevalent in China. In addition, the artworks that form part of this PhD submission are examples of a current interest amongst some Chinese artists in combining inspiration, commentary and experiences from ‘East’ and ‘West’ into their practice. This project details and contextualizes examples of how lampworking might be used as a medium to this end. ‘Craft’ objects are used as a starting point to develop artworks that highlight what I personally found to be diminishing aspects of Chinese culture; for example the Chinese notion of ‘Change’. This project offers a new body of lampworked artworks which have been exhibited in professional venues at a national level and that demonstrate an artist’s approach to combining aspects of Chinese and Western culture in glass art. The themes, inspiration and making process of the creative works are documented in a written thesis to form a model on which other artists might build. The recent history of Chinese lampworking (1930-2013) is presented, building on interviews and literature review of works not previously published in English. The emergence of lampworking in China as a medium for studio glass practice is also charted. For Western audiences, this research offers an example of how the inspirations from Chinese culture and philosophy have been incorporated into contemporary glass art. It also clarifies the current situation of contemporary Chinese lampworking. For Chinese audiences, this research is an instance of western art influence in Chinese lampworking practice. The demonstration of the contemporary lampworking making process is useful for other Chinese lampworking artists.

This study frames and records creative and technical processes behind a body of original glass artworks inspired by ethnic contexts. Foregrounded by my practice as a glass artist and post-colonial experiences as a Filipino-American, the content of the work is rooted in expressions of hybrid ethnicity. Encounters with foreign cultures stimulate the creative process in my work, an approach that is inspired by contemporary art in its various appropriations of ethnographic methods. This is also an important and emerging discourse within the field of glass art. The graphic image in glass offers potentials for using unique qualities of the material to express this content in artworks. This research aims to identify, develop and demonstrate how the graphic image in glass might be used to express aspects of ethnicity. The methodology consists of subject finding through personal experiences, interpretation of cultural contexts, and their visualisation through developing techniques to fabricate artworks in glass. Three case studies address specific cultural sites as the source of inspiration for glass artworks. A field study in the Baltic States observed Soviet-era architecture and interpreted its social impact. A study of ethnographic artefacts in Sunderland Museum revealed local connections to historical and contemporary Northeast England. The development of a layered plan explores one way of making a commissioned cultural map of Liverpool. My contribution to knowledge is the interpretation of a multiplicity of perspectives in ethnic contexts, a working method utilising graphic images, layered and encapsulated in unique glass sculptures that convey complex narratives. These are created through a novel combination of screenprinting, waterjet cutting, kilnforming and glass grinding techniques. As a model of practice for meaningful making, this research adds to conceptual discourse and technical innovation in the field of glass art.

This research investigates the compositional homogeneity of potash-limesilica glasses from the 12th-17th centuries in Northern Europe, and the significance of this with respect to compositional studies of archaeological glasses. The variables in the glass making process that influence the formation of a homogeneous glass are discussed, and investigated using laboratory replication of beech and bracken ash glasses. The experimental results are compared to archaeological material from glass production sites at Blunden's Wood, Knightons, Sidney Wood, and Little Birches in England, and Hils in Germany. Backscattered scanning electron microscope (SEM) imaging is used to qualify the extent of inhomogeneity in both the experimental and archaeological samples. It is confirmed that visually homogeneous glasses can contain inhomogeneities that are only visible under backscattered SEM imaging. It is seen that the size and orientation of inhomogeneities is varied, and specific glass artefact types (such as crucible and waste glass) are more prone to inhomogeneity than fully formed glass (such as window and vessel glass). Electron microprobe analysis (EPMA) is used to quantify the extent of elemental variations present in the inhomogeneous archaeological glasses. The results show that a number of elements are significantly influenced by inhomogeneity, including those (such as calcium, magnesium and sodium) which are commonly used to form compositional groupings of medieval glass. It is concluded that although a number of variables in the glass making process influence the formation of a homogeneous glass, specific variables, such as increased furnace temperature and a high alkali concentration in the ash, appear to be the dominating factors. The presence of large elemental variations in a number of the archaeological glasses analysed confirms that inhomogeneity is a vital consideration in compositional studies of this material, and that particular care must be exercised when using analytical techniques that require only a small sample size.

In transparent glass, colour occurs through the absorption of certain wavelengths of light, and transmission of other wavelengths. In thicker sections of glass, more light is absorbed than in thinner sections, making the thicker sections appear darker, and sometimes a different hue. This phenomenon is called volume colour by Joseph Albers, and together with the optical properties of glass as a denser material than air, leads to remarkable possibilities for glass artists, to work with form to achieve light accents and/or different hues in solid object made from a single transparent glass colour. Artists in the Czech republic have explored this potential in cast glass since the 1960s, working directly with colour factories, and passing on gained knowledge through teaching. Elsewhere, it is difficult for artists to explore these possibilities for two reasons: Firstly, the lack of literature on volume colour, and the difficulty of translating theoretical information on optics into practical application. Secondly, on the practical side, it is unusual for artists to work with factories to develop their glass colours. Instead, colours are available in a limited range of hues, and casting colours are developed for small to medium sized objects around 5 cm thickness, therefore often appear very dark or black when used for larger solid casts of more than 10 cm thickness. To explore the relationship between colour, form and light in glass sculpture, artists need to be in control of colour hue and value. To achieve control, they have to either work with a factory, or colour their own glass. This research contributes to the practice of kiln casting through the development of methods to produce homogenous transparent colours in a studio environment, using ceramic crucibles in a kiln. Visual and written guidelines about basic colour results using single colouring agents provide a starting point for development of bespoke hues and densities. Drawing on physics texts and through a thorough study of existing glass sculpture, the optical properties of glass are explained in relation to practical application.

This is practice-based research about glass art, undertaken by an artist specialising in the lampworking technique. Over many centuries, lampworking has been widely used for scientific, industrial and craft purposes. In the early 1990s, there was a notable shift where traditional lampworking began merging with contemporary glass art, but there is still room for further development. The research focus is line-making through lampworking. Building upon Hoyt (1989), who determined the fundamental procedures in lampworking, this research identifies five operations relating to line-making: ‘bending’, ‘stretching’, ‘thickening’, ‘adding’ and ‘tooling’. Before this research, these techniques were already well practised in traditional lampwork training. However, they were recognised as only basics to construct larger pieces, and line-making itself did not gain real attention. Neither has the theoretical concept of making lines in glass been discussed enough. This research re-examines each of these operations and searches for dormant possibilities to exploit for artistic expression. The significance of glass lines is discussed in comparison to other line-making techniques and media in visual art. The taxonomy of lines advocated by Ingold (2007) is referred to as a guide for deeper exploration in this field. The investigation highlights the unique material feature of glass and contributes the idea of ’spatial traces’ and ‘projected lines’ to the discussion. A series of artworks is subsequently made to demonstrate and evaluate the research outcomes. The particular innovation generated by this research is the development of ‘calligraphic lampworking’, which is technically an extension of the ‘stretching’ operation. The act of stretching molten glass is observed to be comparable to ink calligraphy, in that they both leave a trace of movement. The distinctive difference is that the strokes of calligraphic lampworking are spatially liberated, whereas those of ink calligraphy are confined to the plane of a two-dimensional surface. The ‘multi-dimensionality’ of glass lines is also theoretically explored and discussed in terms of the glass’s clarity, reflections and shadows.

This is a thesis in two parts. Chapters one to four examine the circumstances of the stained glass revival in Scotland while chapters five to eight identify the particular character of nineteenth century Scottish glass painting up to the 1870s. The opening question is whether or not by the early nineteenth century glass painting was truly an art in decline and this discussion leads into the investigation of the significance of progress in the glass industry to the stained glass revival. This line of questioning continues with the identification of the pioneers of the stained glass revival in Scotland, re-assessing the contribution of James Ballantine and introducing William Cooper. The initial demand for stained glass in Scotland is explored through reference to genealogy, antiquarianism and High Church practice. Edinburgh offered unique opportunities for apprentice glass painters to acquire an art education and this thesis moves on to discuss how this influenced their approach to glass painting, focusing upon the career of Francis Wilson Oliphant. It argues that the commissions which shaped the future direction of Scottish glass painting were the rebuilding of the Houses of Parliament and the re-glazing of Glasgow Cathedral where, in both cases, German glass painting was nominated as the approved artistic model. As it was eventually decided that the new windows for Glasgow Cathedral should be designed and executed by the Königliche Glasmalereianstaff of Munich, thesis concludes with a demonstration of the subsequent German influence upon Scottish glass painting.

This practice-led project explores the idea of in-betweenness through the physical and metaphorical aspects of glass. The starting point of the research is that glass, as an artistic medium, when examined with a focus on materiality and the making process on both physical and metaphoric levels, can be compared to the idea of cultural in-betweenness. My aim is to provide metaphoric and theoretical analogies that contribute to an understanding of in-betweenness. To examine the mechanisms of in-betweenness, this research integrates literature review with studio practice and object analysis to interpret the material and process of making objects in both literal and metaphorical dimensions. Historical glass artefacts are analysed to explore the idea of a trans-culture embedded in glass exchange between East Asia and Western Europe during the early modern period (roughly sixteenth to nineteenth centuries) and in practice today. Building on the preexisting scholarly analysis of objects from disciplines including anthropology, art history and archaeology, I experimented with glass and creative process in the studio to provide a fresh analysis based on the materiality of glass and the making process. Findings achieved through the conceptual and practical research reveal parallels between the idea of cultural in-betweenness and the materiality of glass. The analogies drawn from my studio practice and theoretical research for understanding the mechanisms of in-betweenness include: - In-betweenness is a fluid concept that is in a transitional state: the state of ‘becoming’. - In-betweenness is a gradual yet disruptive action that breaks the order of things. 4 - In-betweenness is a process of partial or selective abstraction to the extent where the awareness of origin remains whilst ambiguity is also present. - In-betweenness can be achieved through a mixture of control and chance. It is deliberate creation with an element of chance while some amount of control is maintained.

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