How did a glassblowing show become my obsession? | Clare Millar
– is ultimately about pushing the limits of a form. Glass can do almost anything – it is neither liquid nor solid, and can be made, with immense skill, to imitate any other form. I find arts-based competition reality shows compelling for this reason – they’re about being presented with a prompt and seeing what skilled individuals will create in a strict time limit, and determining who does this best.
It’s so much more than just cooking and baking, and the genre has evolved from hobbyist competitors to highly skilled professionals looking to solidify their standing as the greatest in their field. The excitement this brings is electrifying, creating an unescapable soundscape.
Coldworking is certainly a closely held secret in the show – competitors are evidently allowed some time to refine their glass pieces by polishing, grinding or sandblasting to achieve their vision, but this is never discussed. Rightly so,focuses on showing the flames, smoke, sweat and steam along with the red-hot masses of glass and metal pipes. If glassblowing weren’t so damn fun, it’d be terrifying.
There has to be a limit to creativity in the competition reality format, however. Applications are currently open for, hosted by Newbery Medal winner Kwame Alexander, in which writers pitch their novel and complete a month-long writing boot camp. I can’t imagine that watching people write will be overly interesting, nor is the $US2500 prizemoney enough to make me want to enter.was likewise a flop for me, with overly particular rules stifling the competitors’ spirits.
The tension in these shows is instead held in the fact that anything can go wrong. Cakes can be burnt, flower sculptures can buckle, ceramics can crack and glass can smash. One episode of thisseason features three smashes, the most I’ve counted in any episode, all devastating and stressful. There is an adage that all glassblowers will say, and is repeated on the show: “It’s not what you can make, it’s what you can fix.”in the UN International Year of Glass is quite the addictive start.
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