Glass Ships in Bottles: Vessels in Memory Oral History Project Videos

Between the 1970's and 1990's, there was a manufacturing boom of the glass ships in bottles in the UK. It was led by the scientific glassblowers, who specialised in fabricating laboratory glass apparatus on a torch flame. The technique of manipulating glass with a gas burner is generally called lampworking (i.e. flameworking), but what distinguishes scientific glassblowers is their technical accuracy and their skill in working with tubing.
When heavy industry began to decline in the 1970's, many scientific glassblowers applied their skills and experiences to the production of the glass ships in bottles, and the cottage industry soon developed into a highly viable commercial enterprise. However, it began to decline in the 2000's after mass-production was adopted and later outsourced to China.
These interviews capture the stories of that almost forgotten history. Dr Ayako Tani's 'Glass Ships in Bottles' exhibition showcasing these stories, her collection of vintage glass ships in bottles and her original artworks is on at the Scottish Maritime Museum, Irvine.

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Great video!