Material Investigations IX - Glass Beads
I have been waiting for 5kg of agar to arrive and in the interim, have been doing some tests with the AB glass beads. I really liked the effect of the glass in a small test piece I did with the agar. It gave a really subtle luminosity to the bioplastic, which became more noticeable in certain light and with the movement of the bioplastic and/or if you moved past the work. This was something I wanted to investigate further.
In preparing for some experiments with the AB glass beads, I decided to wash the glass beads lest they had any oils that may interfere with any mediums I was intending on missing it with. After mixing the beads with cold water in a glass, the beads created an interesting type of terrain on the bottom of the glass vessel it was in (figure 1). This is possibly caused by oxygen within the water or oil on the glass beads (or a combination). Later I washed some with boiling water and some dishes liquid and the glass beads sat flat in the glass. I rinsed the beads in cold water from the tap and some clumps formed again like I had seen in the original washing. The clumping definitely appears to be due to air bubbles in the water combined with the glass beads. An unexpected outcome from a simple washing process that I can maybe use in a work someday.
I tested mixing the glass beads with GAC400 and clear gesso. I applied this mixture with a palette knife to thick water colour paper (figure 2). I was hoping the gesso would be more transparent when it dried, however it just looks like greyish textured gesso. Maybe it would show better on a darker substrate or if the glass beads were less dense.
I also mixed the glass beads with GAC400 and spread that onto water colour paper next to some of the gesso. Once this had dried, I sprayed some ink over the top to see if this highlighted the beads. The ink did pool around the perimeter of the beads in those applied with GAC400, it was not so pronounced in the gesso. The ink clung to the gesso and glass beads as a whole, creating less definition than the beads applied with GAC.
Figure 1. Glass beads in a glass of water
Figure 2. Glass beads mixed with clear gesso on water colour paper
Figure 3. Glass beads mixed with clear gesso (left) and also with GAC400 (right) and applied to water colour paper. Ink applied after.
I also tested the glass bead and GAC400 combo on a small square of primed canvas. I noticed that it showed the luminosity of the beads when the light reflected on it a certain way and how it created a pull in the canvas. I decided to explore these effects on a meter long piece of canvas, gesturally applying the mix with a rubber spatula. The effect is shown in figure 4.
To me, the pulling effect created is reminiscent of the floor of the ocean where currents have made ripples in the sand. It created a connection with geographical bodies of water I was working with earlier in the year. What I found interesting about the piece is how the glass beads reflect the light (shown in figure 5.) so when you walk past it there is this subtle luminosity that moves over it with you as you move past it. It reminds me of how bioluminescent algae in the water glows when objects move through it. The subtlety of this work appeals to me. There’s a texture in the mark making which is similar to the torn paper in my decollage works. I like this test enough to want to make more.
