Glass is a material that has long held my interest, with it's clear and fluid nature and its relation to the scientific. I recently had the chance to join a workshop where I could explore ways in which this most seductive of materials could become what I'm calling a techno-assemblage object. I was privileged to work alongside experts from glassmaking, design and technology: Jeff Sarmiento, Justin Marshall, Thomas Dykes, Angela Thwaite, Janis Meissner, Helen Pailing and Rachel Welford to share ideas on ways in which glass might be transformed into a conductive object.
The morning of the first day involved a tour of the design studio at Northumbria University to be inspired by current projects that make use of conductive materials ranging from copper tape to graphite powder with technological tools such as Arduino, Raspberry Pi and Bare Conductive Touchboards. Then we headed down the A1 to Sunderland University and the National Glass Centre to explore methods of combining conductive materials with glass.
Image Credits: Justin Marshall