Since the early 1960s, glass ships in bottles have been made in the renowned shipbuilding and glassmaking city of Sunderland in the North East of England. As heavy industry began to decline in the 1970s, newly redundant scientific glassblowers from the local Pyrex factory, James A. Jobling, established independent studios around the city, making almost exclusively glass ships in botles.
Vessels of Memory: Glass Ships in Bottles project aims to arcive this little-known aspect of the local history, building a collection of these vintage glass ships in bottles and interviewing the people who made them. I also learnt how to make glass ship in bottles in order to preserve these making skills for the future and create a new series of artworks.