OUGD502 - Neon Workshop in Wakefield

At the weekend I embarked on a neon workshop - to learn how to make a piece of neon art. We were told the history of neon and how it was used. Most people call it neon but it is in fact known as cold cathode lighting because the gases used aren't always made from neon. There are many other gases each with their own unique colour. There were a lot of stunning pieces around the workshop itself, each made by the owners.

This particular piece was made out of a number of different tubes with different gases the helium gas which gives a soft peachy colour to the light, xenon creates the light blue light and another gas for the white. 

There was also a small exhibition space behind the workshop with some really interesting pieces. I love the fusion of the different colours of glass to create these pipes. This combined with the ambient blue glow gives them a really calming aura. 

There was also some neon created by an artist (whom I've unfortunately forgotten the name of!) and were blown and bent in such a way to replicate intestines. These are very interesting in the way that the artist has managed to make subtle folds within the curve without letting the glass touch. 

There was also lots of examples of different type that was lit up. My favourite by far was the hand written "Less". I really like how it almost conveyed the less is more ethos within the type, it doesn't have a script or a fancy typeface it is just simple hand writing. Also the colour is not in your face or too bright so it works really well. If I could have afforded to buy this piece I definitely would have done!

For the workshop itself I found it really fun to do! We started out with glass tubing, which we had to put a tube in one end in order to be able to blow through it to even out the diameter of the tube when being curved. I opted for a simple chevron type curve for the first one and it came out beautifully! The tutor was very impressed which made me quite proud. For the next tube he asked us to make a more complex shape with a thinner tube. However when I tried this I ended up curving the tube too much so that it collapsed back on itself rendering it unusable. But overall the experience was really fun and I would definitely love to try it again. I was also thinking about asking to do a sort of internship or a work experience thing because I would love to learn more!