Dumbarton’s Scottish Maritime Museum will host an exhibition on the disappearing craft of glass ships in bottles next month.
Glass artist and researcher Dr Ayako Tani will take guests on two one-hour tours of her artwork and give an insight into the magic behind the exquisite designs.
Dr Tani, who has demonstrated glassblowing across the world and has been an artist in residence in China and the USA, is showcasing her work in Dumbarton on May 12.
And she will introduce visitors to the scientific glassblowing origins of glass ships in bottles as she shows them her vintage collection acquired over the duration of her research project and beyond.
Announcing the tours, Nicola Scott Exhibition and Events Officer at the Scottish Maritime Museum, said: “We’re thrilled Ayako can join us for two tours as this fascinating exhibition comes to a close.
“These one-off tours will give visitors a wonderful and unique insight into the amazing art of glass ships in bottles and the sadly endangered craft of scientific glassblowing which she is such a passionate advocate of.
“We have limited places, so we urge everyone to book early and avoid disappointment.”
The Glass Ships in Bottles exhibition, which closes on Sunday 15 May, tells a remarkable story of ingenuity.
Faced with redundancy following the decline of heavy industry in the 1970s, highly skilled scientific glassblowers in the UK combined their experience making laboratory apparatus in an open flame with artistic flair to create and sell glass ships in bottles.
A boom in demand ensued and, by the 1990s, tens of thousands of these intricate glass ships were in production.
Sadly, growing popularity led to mass-production which, although successful at first, brought about a drop in quality. The craft finally disappeared from the UK in 2005 when the last manufacturer outsourced work to China.
Today, there are less than a hundred scientific glassblowers left in the UK and the skill is recognised as ‘Endangered’ by the Heritage Crafts Association.
Tickets to the Glass Ships in Bottles Artist Tour are priced £4.50 and the museum advise booking is essential.
To book visit www.scottishmaritimemuseum.org
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