Pâte de verre (1)

This is a complex series of processes that involves making some clay tiles with textures and patterns indented in them. Then clamping them within boards into which you pour a mixture of plaster and molochite. When this has set, you take out the clay, clean up the mould and clean the floor (which is very messy by then). You then take home some glass cullet - looks a bit like washing soda crystals - wash it and sieve it through three different sieves to get a coarse one (like large sugar crystals), medium (like granulated sugar) and ideally a fine one like caster sugar. But few students have a pestle and mortar in their digs, so I haven't achieved that one. My tiles (one pictured)are waiting now for the next stage which is to add colour and fire each one at a different setting.