Axis | Glass sculpture

Axis was created using glass casting and cold-working techniques. The floating axis in the center was achieved through controlled surface treatment and precise glass placement before firing the piece in the kiln.

The process behind Axis began with sculpting a prototype out of fine art plasticine. I then created a silica-plaster mold around the prototype and carefully removed it once the mold had set, leaving a hollow cavity to be filled with glass.

To achieve the desired internal effect, I calculated the precise glass measurements needed. For this sculpture, I used four identical glass blocks, each weighing over 3 kg. I treated the juncture surfaces before melting to create the veil-like patterns that form the illusion of an axis within the glass.

Once the glass blocks were melted in the kiln, the final step involved polishing the two sides to achieve optical clarity and grinding and sandblasting the round surface to introduce contrast.

Axis was formed using Ohara’s eco-optical glass, a lead- and arsenic-free material. This glass was essential in creating the illusion of an axis within the solid glass structure.

It took approximately two months to complete Axis. The process involved a combination of design, precise glass calculations, kiln work, and polishing to achieve the final result.