DEMONSTRATING WITHOUT BEING GLUED TO THE FLOOR!

So I was in the Highlander pub which is a great live music venue in Inverness. The band was an hour late and when they turned up the crowd was entertained by a two hour (well it seemed like that to me!) demo of cables being unwound and wound. I was sensing being wound up myself as the musicians plugged things in and out of black boxes. They twiddled knobs and flicked switches whilst endlessly checking dials. Eventually they produced instruments only to spend ages tuning them. Just as they started to play real live music they stopped to erect a screen with the bands name on, their facebook address and website details. Ye gods I thought why could they just play acoustic or at least not worry about the sound. So much quicker and did the crowd really care about the sound? Then I was reminded that I too am a performer and when I do glassblowing demonstrations then if I haven’t set up my equipment to my liking I aint going to enjoy the show. If I’m not having a good time then sure as glass is glass my audience while just walk away.

Last week I was asked at short notice to demonstrate some glass working techniques. I was at home but agreed even though it was a Sunday. I quickly opened up my workshop to turn on my burners making sure propane and oxygen was flowing through hoses at the correct procedures. I made sure I had the right glass handy although I hadn’t yet decided what to make. My potentially happy audience turned up early to catch me flustering around trying to light my burner then get my googles out its case whilst at same time looking for spare googles for people to wear as they gazed in wonder at the flame(not at me). Eventually I got going and decided to give a running commentary on what I was making through all the different stages. Thankfully they hadn’t seen anything as fantastic as me before so I allowed myself to relax and get into the zone. As they left, I heard one say to another that they never realised there was so much work in creating something which looks so simple! Oh, if only they knew.

My first demonstration in Caithness was to a group of ladies at St Annes Church Guild. I was the only man present which was obvious since it was a ladies guild. Bit of a captive audience as the teas and coffees were being served after I had finished by demo. I usually spend a ten minute introduction then its full on with large flames to see who faints first. After thirty minutes most of the audience have finished talking amongst themselves and then begin to get interested in what I am doing. This is a shame as my attention span evaporates after about thirty-five minutes! Something must have worked well at that first demo as I have carried out hundreds of simple experiences in the last forty years.

In my experience there are two types of audiences. Those that know what you are doing and those that haven’t got a clue. I make no difference and treat all the same. Some people maybe nervous about performing in front their peers but I reassure myself my thinking I’m the guy standing in front of them because they were too scared to come forward. Some are scared at showing a technique that could be copied. So what? People have and will always try and copy me and good luck to them. They will not succeed (better word than fail!) since we are all unique.

I have always wanted to do a glass demonstration on top of a mountain and so I grabbed the opportunity whilst in Switzerland for an international scientific glass symposium. If I see an unattended burner then I just jump in and off I go twiddling glass rod in the flame. I was enjoying myself until someone told me that the so called burner with an absent operator really did have someone who was using but he just popped out. To add to my embarrassment he was a student half way through a project for a competition. I’d like to think I helped him but I am pretty sure he would share that view!

Scientific glassblowing symposiums offer endless demonstration opportunities and I have performed in many venues within the UK as well as USA, France and Germany. Its amazing that it was not unusual to hold glassblowing shows in so called posh hotels. Imagine nowadays when guests arrive to be greeted by large flames emitting from burners fuelled by Propane and Oxygen cylinders. That’s why we that is I and my fellow scientific glassblowers always use marquees to show off our skills.

One of the busiest demonstrations and I measure that by the number in the audience was during a local science festival in the early 90’s when over 600 pupils trooped through to gaze in amazement at me and at that stage, I had only lit the burner. I have learnt over the years that it doesn’t matter what you do as long as it involves a big flame.

A group of likeminded lampworkers (that’s those who work glass tubing and rod in a flame) converged on a decorative glass event and proceed to burn through cylinder after cylinder of oxygen. We use up so my gas that we were then banned from future events.

One of my favourite demonstrations took place last year at the International Festival of Glass at Stourbridge. I made a glass tiger inside a glass tiger since it was then the year of the tiger. I wore a tiger outfit which only caught fire once and big thanks to my co demonstrator for saving me. That’s the exciting thing about doing a glassblowing demonstration it can be dangerous.

In all my years of demonstrating no member of the audience has been burnt. Its come close though as flicking hot glass into the crown is a sure way to silence hecklers. I have always held back but there is always a first time!