‘Auras’ is a yearlong series of blown glass lights made from 12 unique steel molds. After years of watching scrap steel accumulate dust in the waste bin of a local Chicago metal shop, I wondered how the material could be pushed further. For every month of 2024, I utilized scrap steel to fabricate a mold to blow glass into. Each month posed a new challenge - heating, bending, welding, fabricating various hinges and tracks - stretching and testing my expertise as a metalworker. Just as the steel supported and shaped the molten glass, I leaned on my familiarity with steel while exploring the enigmatic qualities of glass. The result is a series that produces a spectrum of forms with glow as diverse as human individuality.
