Modular making in kiln cast glass: repetition, efficiency, and the unique

Abstract

This thesis investigates the use and implications of a modular approach to studio casting processes, focussing primarily on kiln cast glass. In their traditional conception, modular systems developed to improve efficiency – allowing limited parts to be combined and recombined in different ways to introduce a degree of variety. However, such systems require standardisation and a shared mechanism for bringing modular parts together. Both aspects work to limit the results which are possible using a modular system. They can thus be characterised as more suited to repetitive industrial production than the creation of artistic sculpture. Instead, this thesis argues that in the hands of studio casters, modular systems can move beyond their roots in reproduction and the carbon copy. Despite the inherently algorithmic nature of the modular, the research reveals that it is possible to break from the seriality which would normally be expected – especially when working with geometric units. Instead, when coupled with the iterative material processes of casting, a simple modular system can evolve into a complex visual language. Repetitive geometry becomes capable of producing representational, figurative and even narrative sculpture. This is evidenced by the body of sculptural work created during the research. The thesis also reveals that modular systems can offer a different form of efficiency within a studio environment. It shows that the development of a modular system for casting is initially demanding, requiring multiple models and moulds to create the repeating copies of the desired modular parts. Yet once complete, these ancillary models and moulds – the tools of the casting process – can be used beyond their first intended purpose. In contrast with industrial use, in the artist’s studio they are not bound to a specific process or use. This means that models and moulds can be used at different stages of the casting process to cast different materials. As they share surfaces and geometries with the modular parts they create, they are also primed for modular combination – becoming modules in their own right. Far from being restrictive, within a studio setting the system becomes positively generative: incidental groupings of models, moulds and casts suggestions new forms, combination and possibilities.