Glass Beads - Material Relevance
The rationale for including glass beads in the works relates to a couple of ideas. Firstly, I am considering geographical bodies of water, the beach and the border, which is the wrack line, and sand is a significant component of an ocean beach. Glass is commonly made from the grains of quartz crystals in sand that when melted at around 1700°C. 1
Glass can also be formed when a bolt of lightning strikes and penetrates the sand which results in the formation of fulgurite. The lightning strike forms an irregular hollow cylindrical shape that has glass on the inside and is sandy on the outside. 2 The appearance and texture of fulgurite (figure 1) remind me of the moulded works that I did bioplastic with glass beads (figure 2). Research from the University of Leeds shows that lightning strikes were significant in enabling life on Earth to emerge. 3 Geologists found a phosphorus mineral called schreibersite in fulgurite which is soluble. The solubility allowed the phosphorus to leach into the water and this led to it playing a major role in life forming being an essential element in cellular compounds such as DNA and cell membranes.
If lightning strikes around 3.5 billion years ago were responsible for the release of phosphorus from the fulgurite glass it formed and an element of fundamental importance to the creation of life along with water and algae, then it seems relevant to include tiny glass beads in my bioplastic forms. There’s a connection with life, water and solubility, and sand which is ofter around geographical bodies of water,
Figure 1. Fulgurite https://i.etsystatic.com/31785777/r/il/67c6ad/4607065106/il_1588xN.4607065106_77iw.jpg
Figure 2. Form made with bioplastic and glass beads
Bibliography
Corning. “How glass is made.” Corning. https://www.corning.com/worldwide/en/innovation/materials-science/glass/how-glass-made.html (accessed November 1, 2023).
Don Gerig, Don. “Lightning glass! (Fulgurite) How it’s formed and where to find it.” Rock Seeker. https://rockseeker.com/lightning-glass-fulgurite/ (accessed November 1, 2023)
University of Leeds. "Lightning strikes played a vital role in life's origins on Earth." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/03/210316132121.htm (accessed November 1, 2023).
