S15E03: Glass Conservation

What’s it like to work on glass? Jenny and Phedra are joined by emerging conservator Terri Costello as they explore this fragile but ancient material. Also tune in for Solange’s interview with artist Freya Laughton about preserving memories in glass.

01:40 Phedra’s adventures with Roman glass
04:30 All the exciting places we find it in collections
11:36 Trying out glassblowing and involving expert makers
19:03 Chemistry, imperfections and tools
34:00 Colourful chemistry and stresses in glass
41:56 Getting started in glass
43:31 Interview with Freya Laughton
54:44 Patreon shout-out

Show Notes:
– Costello Conservation: https://costelloconservation.com/
– Go follow Terri on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/t.costello.conservation/
– Glass and ceramics programme at University of Amsterdam: https://www.uva.nl/shared-content/programmas/en/masters/conservation-and-restoration-of-cultural-heritage/study-programme/glass-and-ceramics/glass-and-ceramics.html
– Egyptian faïence: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_faience
– Glasriket: https://glasriket.se/en/
– Blown Away on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/80215147
– Allard Pierson Museum: https://allardpierson.nl/en/
– Corning Museum of Glass: https://home.cmog.org/
– The Glass Heart exhibition: https://twotempleplace.org/exhibitions/the-glass-heart/
– A beautiful infographic about coloured glass: https://www.compoundchem.com/2015/03/03/coloured-glass/
– Fractography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractography
– The Techniques of Roman-Period Glassblowing: https://romanglassblowing.cmog.org/
– Seafire Design: https://www.seafiredesign.co.uk/
– Follow Freya on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seafire_design

Support us on Patreon!

Hosted by Jenny Mathiasson, Phedra Komodromou, and Terri Costello.

Intro and outro music by DDmyzik, used under a Creative Commons Attribution license.

Made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license.

A Wooden Dice production, 2024.

One comment

  1. Astrid

    Great episode! I just wanted to share a couple more specific resources from The Corning Museum of Glass. Our blog occasionally has conservation related posts, including one by Terri, (there is also a great series on photographing glass by our photography team): https://blog.cmog.org/collections
    Our YouTube channel has quite a few conservation videos and also a series on packing glass: https://www.youtube.com/@corningmuseumofglass/search?query=conservation
    And if you’re interested in glass conservation and happen to be in the area, let us know! I love supporting fellow conservators and getting them hooked on glass and will happily give you a tour of the lab if I am able.

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