In this sequence of clips, artist Peter Reynolds and apprentice Jade complete the first stage in the creation of the Botprize trophy. The process involves layering molten glass, embedding trapped air bubbles and incorporating streaks of silver and gold foil. Peter skilfully shapes and coaxes the glass to produce a truly beautiful object in his unique signature style. The process takes quite a bit longer than these few clips suggest!
After undergoing several days of annealing, the piece will be ready for the next stage, a high-tech etching process that adds high-quality images to the final product.
| Initial shaping. | Adding indentations that will become trapped air bubbles. | Another layer of molten glass has been added - more shaping. |
| Scraps of very fine 22 carat gold foil are applied to the hot surface. | Silver foil and more gold are added. | The foil is smoothed out - later it will stretch and fracture as the glass is worked. |
| More layers of molten glass are added. | The lump of hot glass is getting very heavy - more careful shaping. | Using tongs to create a pinch point - the piece will be snapped off here later. |
| Peter's distinctive triangular shape has been created using a secret process. | Now the pulling out has begun. | The temperature has to be kept uniform along the length - more difficult now that it is larger. |
| Gravity helps to stretch it out. | Heat is being applied to make the tip workable for finishing. | |
| The piece is snapped off and placed in an annealing oven ... to be continued ... |