Eds Crack April 2021

So, it seems scientists have saved the world or at least distracted politicians from fulfilling their careers and doing something useful for society! Yes of course I am talking about developing THE vaccines.

The plural is important as it shows that across the World science thankfully knows no boundaries. Therefore, I conclude scientific glassblowers must also take credit since the links between us (here for once I refer to myself as a scientific glassblower) and science are obvious. Reminds me of when I started work in the scientific glass World my Uncle who I was working for decided I should go to the local college one day a week to study for my science ONC, (Ordinary National Certificate). Oh, how I hated Chemistry so much, all those molecules buzzing around my head with atoms running down my legs! The only reason I wanted to work glass in a flame because it seemed creative and listening to some boring professors go on and on about acids and litmus papers drove me to doodle. I admit this was in the early 1970s and things thankfully have changed since then. I learnt that litmus paper colours can be artistic and that growing crystals can offer a sculptural opportunity. But, but, but why cannot artists regardless of their creativeness be treated with the same respect as other disciplines. In fact, why can’t well be treated the same? Yes, even the unemployed and unemployable, in fact especially the unemployable for they like us all are important for the future. I digress of course as that is the first line of defence, change the subject and turn to politics. Not like organisations such as the BSSG then? I do hear of other glass societies who will remain nameless that have experienced the dark side of fractured power struggles leading to divisions and hope that sanity overcomes such insecurities.

Halfway through writing my Editorial I learnt that sadly the Australian and New Zealand Scientific Glassblowing Society has been officially dissolved .The Society was formed in 2003 when at the biennial Symposium in Rotorua it was decided that the New Zealand Society of Scientific Glassblowers amalgamated with the Scientific Glassblowing Association of Australia. Hmmm makes you think doesn’t it? Well, it made me think and know some members are concerned about the future with all aspects of the BSSG activities. No doubt you will read more on this subject later.

This year is a special year for me as I celebrate forty years of being in one place. That place being Caithness, more specifically Thurso. Just two houses occupied in that time though and perhaps one more move but staying in the same area. Deciding where to live is usually based on influences like work or family. I came to Thurso for the former but since retiring a couple of years ago could in theory move anywhere. My family is fast diminishing so perhaps a long look in the mirror at my soul is required to define my desired lifestyle? Where we live in the glass world is of interest to Kate Round who is  part of the design team working on some of the permanent interactive displays for the new Glass Museum in Stourbridge. One project will be a map of the world that will illustrate ‘Where Have Our Glass-makers Gone’. Contact Kate through the website kateround.com or if you have trouble “running” the mouse over this page and clicking on the blue words then you can always contact me. Seems like a fabulous idea and I do really hope I can see the results next year at the International Festival of Glass. Maybe I should move to Stourbridge? Home can be perceived in many diverse ways and people still ask me if I miss home. In my situation this would-be Croydon in Surrey and I certainly would not move back there. This was never truer when, for the seemingly millionth time I was asked about where I came from. I heard on the radio news broadcast about the tragic nine stabbings in one night with one being fatal in Croydon. Enough said.

Normality is so hard to define that I wonder if it ever existed. Furloughed staff are keen to get back to work as school children keen to see their friends in school. We are entering a new world where it seems the rule book is being torn up but not re written. That leaves anarchy which for me gets my vote! Translating the big picture to minute detail of working with that wonderful material called glass then I struggle to avoid what I was taught about repairing cracks and overcoming the fear of a crack. Imagine everything you make has a crack and that is a positive. As Leonard Cohen sung, that’s where the light comes in. Life isn’t like a piece of glassware that is cracked. I mean you cannot just warm up life and seal a crack as if it never existed. Life is far more special and individual than that and comparisons to each other are pointless. I do try to live in the moment and love every atom of life but as for Chemistry, then it can stay in the laboratory!

I am incredibly lucky to be working with an imaginative artist who is planning a trip to Mars in 2025! A day trip to Inverness would make my day now! Just love the craziness of the art World which at times can be polluted with that awful thing we know as money. Project involves making glass masks which is very appropriate in these pandemic days. Worse thing is that I am the model during construction and the final version will not be modelled by me so it is literary a head banging time. I also am dealing with a customer who is very demanding on requests for minute work which I hate making. He knows that and offers more money thinking that would change my feelings. If it were as easy as that then bank managers would be our therapists!

Halfway through writing my Editorial I learnt that sadly the Australian and New Zealand Scientific Glassblowing Society has been officially dissolved .The Society was formed in 2003 when at the biennial Symposium in Rotorua it was decided that the New Zealand Society of Scientific Glassblowers amalgamated with the Scientific Glassblowing Association of Australia. Hmmm makes you think doesn’t it? Well, it made me think and know some members are concerned about the future with all aspects of the BSSG activities. No doubt you will read more on this subject later.

This year is a special year for me as I celebrate forty years of being in one place. That place being Caithness, more specifically Thurso. Just two houses occupied in that time though and perhaps one more move but staying in the same area. Deciding where to live is usually based on influences like work or family. I came to Thurso for the former but since retiring a couple of years ago could in theory move anywhere. My family is fast diminishing so perhaps a long look in the mirror at my soul is required to define my desired lifestyle? Where we live in the glass world is of interest to Kate Round who is  part of the design team working on some of the permanent interactive displays for the new Glass Museum in Stourbridge. One project will be a map of the world that will illustrate ‘Where Have Our Glass-makers Gone’. Contact Kate through the website https://kateround.com/2021/02/03/shout-out-to-glass-artists-students-for-where-in-the-world/ or if you have trouble “running” the mouse over this page and clicking on the blue words then you can always contact me. Seems like a fabulous idea and I do really hope I can see the results next year at the International Festival of Glass. Maybe I should move to Stourbridge? Home can be perceived in many diverse ways and people still ask me if I miss home. In my situation this would-be Croydon in Surrey and I certainly would not move back there. This was never truer when, for the seemingly millionth time I was asked about where I came from. I heard on the radio news broadcast about the tragic nine stabbings in one night with one being fatal in Croydon. Enough said.

Normality is so hard to define that I wonder if it ever existed. Furloughed staff are keen to get back to work as school children keen to see their friends in school. We are entering a new world where it seems the rule book is being torn up but not re written. That leaves anarchy which for me gets my vote! Translating the big picture to minute detail of working with that wonderful material called glass then I struggle to avoid what I was taught about repairing cracks and overcoming the fear of a crack. Imagine everything you make has a crack and that is a positive. As Leonard Cohen sung, that’s where the light comes in. Life isn’t like a piece of glassware that is cracked. I mean you cannot just warm up life and seal a crack as if it never existed. Life is far more special and individual than that and comparisons to each other are pointless. I do try to live in the moment and love every atom of life but as for Chemistry, then it can stay in the laboratory!

I am incredibly lucky to be working with an imaginative artist who is planning a trip to Mars in 2025! A day trip to Inverness would make my day now! Just love the craziness of the art World which at times can be polluted with that awful thing we know as money. Project involves making glass masks which is very appropriate in these pandemic days. Worse thing is that I am the model during construction and the final version will not be modelled by me so it is literary a head banging time. I also am dealing with a customer who is very demanding on requests for minute work which I hate making. He knows that and offers more money thinking that would change my feelings. If it were as easy as that then bank managers would be our therapists!

BSSG Journal Editor puts his head into his work!