Bornholm - arrived
2022 - February
About a week and a half ago, I arrived on the island of Bornholm in Denmark. Here’s a quick update on how I’m doing!
I’m having a great time here! On the first Saturday after my arrival, I bought a bike through Facebook and used it to explore the island. It takes about 7 minutes to bike to school from my house, which is perfect!
The school is located just outside the village of Nexø, surrounded by nature and only 2 minutes from the sea. There are about 50 students in total, with the majority studying ceramics. Because the school is so small, everyone knows each other, and there are lots of fun events organized, like parties and movie nights. I would describe it as a small community, very cozy! I felt welcomed right away.
Digital Techniques
The assignment for the upcoming period is to utilize digital tools in glassblowing. We received lessons in 3D drawing on the computer to, for example, laser cut a glassblowing mold, as seen in the photo next to this. Later in this period, we will also be working with 3D printing and CNC cutting. Exciting, but enjoyable to learn these techniques!
Here you see a technique called plaster pulling. It involves using a laser-cut profile to ‘pull’ shapes around a platform. From this form, you can then create a glassblowing mold.
This week, I’ve been doing a lot of blowing and testing out my molds, but I haven’t taken any photos of the results yet. You’ll get those from me later!
In the glassblowing studio, there are always four workstations available from 6 am to 6 pm that you can use unlimitedly, which is a luxury!
Once a month on Friday evenings, all the glass students come together to create a collective piece with a theme. This time, the theme was the forest. Anyone who wants to creates their mini sculpture and sets it aside in the oven to keep it at temperature. Then, a large base is blown where the small sculptures are melted onto. It was really fun to work on this together!
Above, you can see a photo of the glassblowing workshop on Friday evening, bustling with activity and camaraderie.
That’s it for this time! Thanks for reading!
Warm regards,
Mirna