Cambridge 7th to 9th September
Presenting Author:
Julia Malle
<mail@juliamalle.com>
article posted 9 Mar 2015
Julia Malle
Julia is a UK-based sculptor working mainly in flame-worked Borosilicate glass and light.
She also runs the glassblowing workshop at the University of Hull and is involved with the
design and manufacture of lab-on-a-chip devices and all matter of scientific glassware.
She is an active member of the British Society of Scientific Glassblowers and regularly
contributes to their journal and other activities.
Where Neon meets Scientific glassblowing
Julia Malle
University of Hull
Royal British Society of Sculptors
British Society of Scientific Glassblowers
In this talk Julia will focus on her artistic working practice were she mixes scientific glassblowing and Neon working techniques to create unique glass and light sculptures. She will visually demonstrate and reference some of her influences and inspirations, in particular the glass working techniques employed by Heinrich Geissler and link them to her current practice.
Geissler was a scientific glassblower and businessman and in 1857 he invented the mercury vacuum pump which allowed for better vacuums to be achieved and he produced the first low-pressure gas discharge tubes, now called Geissler tubes.
Geissler tubes
paved the way for modern Neon Signs as well as applications in electronics, television
displays and many other fields.
In his artistic works he used fluorescent liquids,
phosphorescent powders and Uranium Glass together with light, producing different
effects and playing with the appearance of light inside interconnected glass tubes.