a glimpse into the process
some photos explaining the production process resulting in the glass & mirror panels that rachel welford and i are producing for york NHS trust.
this is just one stage in the process – the first panel in the series has already been installed in one of the new lifts in york hospital hospital. for that first piece we sent artwork to a specialist glass company to carry out the manufacturing, but with the subsequent panels we felt we wanted more control over the process. hence a long day yesterday was spent at the sign-makers creating vinyl masks on two sheets of glass and two mirrors ready for sandblasting.
above: probably the most minimal photo we’ve posted on our blog. if you look closely you can see the design cut out of vinyl. the design uses photographs taken by rachel which together we adapted and added typography to.
below: ‘weeding’ the vinyl – peeling away sections which are not part of the design.
above: rachel weeding the top layer. each complete panel will be made from a sheet of glass with an etched and painted design layered onto a mirror also etched with a design to create a complex layered image.
below: applying the vinyl mask to the glass. the uncovered glass will be sandblasted, then the vinyl removed (another day of back-breaking work) leaving the leaf shapes and text clear.
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above: smoothing down the vinyl to ensure a sharp etched image.
below: front layer of the second panel. this is opportunity to view each as separate graphic designs – when complete the effect will be much more subtle and the dual layers will partially obscure some of the text. the intention is that the designs encourage multiple viewings by patients, visitors and staff of the hospital.
