NYC 13 Weeks of Adventure: Week 7 - Glassblowing at Brooklyn Glass
An artist-owned studio offering classes in glassblowing, flameworking, and neon.
Hey, what’s up, hello!
Welcome to Love + Travel, a chronicling of adventure for people who aren’t afraid to explore new landscapes within themselves and the world.
Last week, as an intermission to the summer series 13 Weeks of Adventure, I shared Labia as a reminder I’M 👏🏾 THAT 👏🏾 GIRL 👏🏾 !
I count it as my most potent offering yet and encourage you to read it if you haven't already. You can also indulge in the entirety of my work, here.
Have a wonderful start to the weekend, and cheers to owning and celebrating our talents shamelessly.
♥️,
RL
The moment I knew I wanted needed to try glassblowing was after watching a contestant on the show “Blown Away” spin a glowing mass of molten glass until it flattened out into a perfect rondel.
I was hooked.
How could something be solid but behave like a liquid, remain pliable while rigid, and be unfathomably hot even when cool?
Like all the worthwhile things in life, glass is a paradox.
The entrance to Brooklyn Glass is easy to miss if you are preoccupied, but the space is unforgettable once inside. After making your way through the gated entrance and down a corridor between neighboring structures, the workspace begins with a garage door entrance - a harbinger of spaciousness within. The building is massive, with high ceilings, brick walls, and cement slab floors. It boasts a hot shop, a cold working studio, a fully equipped neon facility, and a flameworking space. While there is more than enough room to create, most of the occupancy is dedicated to the storage and shipping of custom orders – Brooklyn Glass is one of the largest providers of neon signs on the East Coast.
All that square footage is very necessary. The furnace, undoubtedly the center of this entire enterprise, releases a massive amount of heat, and is indescribably hot! Its sole purpose is to keep the molten glass within its confines from hardening, and it runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, at above 2000 degrees Fahrenheit.
I shudder at the thought of their gas bill.
The furnace is central in the shop with two workstations on either side. Myself and the six others in attendance huddled around one as our instructor introduced himself as David, and dove into safety measures for the workshop to begin.
Once instruction was complete, it was time to get to work. We paired off into groups (shout out to my instructor Em!) and began with a paperweight, then, after a lunch break, returned to make cups. What impresses me most about glassblowing is while the craft has been around for thousands of years, modern tools have remained relatively unchanged. Six instruments – blocks, a paddle, diamond and straight shears, jacks, and a tweezer – allow gaffers to create everything from palatial-sized vases to the tiniest of sculptures. This is due to glass’s consistent principles no matter what you create. All works are bound by time, temperature, and gravity.
We began by gathering glass from the furnace, rolling the molten material in bits of color, then pulling, plucking, and shaping it until appropriate. Once complete, with a few dribbles of water and a firm knock, we released it from its stick to be placed in the annealer to cool. My favorite part of the experience was flashing, or reheating, my developing cup because it allowed me to see how glass behaves in the heat without having to get close to the inferno that is the furnace. By the end, we were all impressed, satisfied, and incredibly sweaty.
Glassblowing is an art form unlike any other - it requires you to start from scratch at the slightest sign of defect. Unlike drawing or painting, where colors can be layered, and lines erased, or writing, where the backspace button is inches away, with glass’s temperamental nature, there are narrow windows to accomplish one’s expectations and vision. This craft asks for you to be efficient and unintimidated while continuously twirling a substance that could have disastrous effects if mishandled. It’s a tall order for those first starting out, but it speaks to the mastery of those who can create something beautiful through its process.
What stays with me weeks after is how this experience is a meditation on life itself. Partnership and detachment, two themes central to the creation of glass forms, emphasizes the importance of having support in our endeavors while not becoming too attached to the outcomes. What matters is having fun.
LET ME KNOW
- When was the last time you felt like an absolute badass?
- What's the most daring activity you've ever participated in? Did it involve working with extreme elements, like heat, cold, or fragile materials?
- What’s an activity you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t made the time to yet?
- When working on a project that involves risk, how important is it for you to have a reliable partner? Can you share an example of a time when a partnership made a risky situation more manageable?
the picture between you and hubby is premium team work. 👌🏽👌🏽
most dating activity: skydiving! it's a rush that will leave one feeling like the baddest BADASS!