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This practice-led research investigates the feasibility of combining glass and ceramics in a hot state, as a means of artistic expression in studio practice. Glass and ceramics have many related material qualities and are processed in similar ways. Chemically they are alike however structurally they are very different, which creates compatibility problems when they are combined in a hot state. Through controlled processing, material properties can alter when each is partially converted into the other. It is recognised by artists in the field of studio ceramics that porcelain can partially convert into a glassy form when high fired to create a translucent material. Likewise it is recognised in the field of industrial engineering that glass can partially convert into a ceramic form when processed in a controlled way to create a glass-ceramic material; this material is not used by practitioners and would be difficult to develop in a studio environment. A total of 43 contemporary practitioners were found that worked in both glass & ceramics in their work. Of these only 16 practitioners combined glass and ceramics in a hot state, the majority combined them in a cold state to avoid compatibility issues. It became apparent that there is a distinct lack of published material on the combination of glass and ceramics in studio practice. It was the aim of this investigation to address this gap by identifying and testing potential hot state processing routes. This research addresses these issues through a multiple-method approach rooted in creative practice; directed by the following aims: • To develop the practical and creative parameters of the combination of glass and ceramics in a hot state. • To demonstrate and articulate the possible creative and practical benefits of the new processing routes as a model for practitioners in the field. • To articulate the significance of the research methods and results through the mapping of the field. Material testing was focused on artistic practice and experimentation which identified the creative parameters of combining glass and ceramics in a hot state, four potential process routes that combine glass and ceramics in a hot state were identified and tested. This testing was further extended and supported by the application of compatibility studies, which helped to match the expansion rates of glass and ceramics when they are combined. Bone china was identified as the closest fit to glass in terms of expansion rates; quartz was added to further improve the fit of the materials. Case studies of artists that work in glass and ceramics have been used to position the research within the field. New insights have emerged into the combined processing of glass and ceramics in a hot state. This approach offers a series of potential processing routes to be viewed as a model for others in the field. The final submission includes a thesis, a series of materials tests, and a body of related artworks that demonstrate the hot state combination of the materials.

This research explored the creative potential of the phenomenon of “bloom”, a matt film caused by the expansion of the tin-containing layer on the surface of float glass that occurs when it is reheated to temperatures above 600° C. “Bloom” has long been regarded as a problem, both in industry and by artists using float glass for kilnforming. Under specific conditions designed to stretch the glass the expansion of the tin-containing layer can be controlled sufficiently to produce a new surface effect similar to iridescence, instead of a matt film. The research examined ways of using the new surface to create images in glass. In addition, the hardness of the tin in relation to the glass causes the images to form slight low relief. The visual effects can be contrasted with those of existing methods of creating surfaces on glass and with methods of forming low relief in glass, in being lightreflecting and integral to the medium itself. While the effects are quite subtle, methods derived from creative practice were developed to create artworks that exploited their unique visual characteristics. These are composed of imagery, glass and light. The research has been approached from the perspective of an artist working with the medium of glass. Its purpose was to explain and control the effects sufficiently in order to use them for creative expression. The submission consists of a body of artwork and a written thesis.