I've been modifying my materials, and I think it's important to talk about why. Glass is a fascinating material, but it has a tendency towards the cold and untouchable.
I want people to interact with these objects, to pick them up, and spend time with them. One way of doing this is through making them in materials that are welcoming.
In her article in Ceramic Review, "Breaking the Taboo" (January 2009), Bonnie Kemske, whose PhD at The Royal College of Art was focused on tactile ceramics, talks about taking work off the plinth in the gallery. She makes people comfortable with this by having them sit in the gallery and hold the work with a lot of their body, cradling it in their laps, hugging it. I'm attempting to do it through material.
Connection to hand pieces from earlier?