The Glass Animals Project is an art project designed to raise funds for animal conservation. Across the globe animals are facing extinction at an unprecedented rate due to human activities. This project was conceived to counteract those negative anthropogenic impacts and protect Earth’s many amazing animals. The Glass Animals Project will be composed of a collection of life-size glass animal sculptures. Each sculpture will be of an animal on the endangered species list and will be sculpted by a dedicated artist. After the glass animal collection has been completed, it will be sold to provide financial aid for the animals. The project will require a collective effort from people around the world to ensure its success.
To produce glass sculptures on a life-size scale presents significant challenges. For example, life-size elephants have been crafted from materials including bronze, clay, wood, etc., but not yet from glass – such a piece would be a first. To date, the largest piece of cast glass is The Hale Telescope lens. It was created by Corning Inc. in the mid 1930s and is known as The Glass Giant. Accomplishing this casting was a grand feat that involved many people working in collaboration, and the finished product has been adored by the public ever since. The Hale lens is nearly 17 feet in diameter, took 65 tons of glass, required a 10-month cooling process, and was achieved after two attempts. An important part of the casting process is when molten glass is cooled into a solid, cold state and is known as annealing. The thickness of the object being cast determines the length of anneal time. This is crucial because while The Glass Giant is 17 feet wide, it is only about 2 feet thick, which raises the question of whether successfully casting an animal like an elephant is possible. Glass has many beautiful qualities that makes it an ideal medium for this project. Glass conveys a sense of fragility which intertwines with the delicate nature of the animal kingdom. Similarly, to how The Glass Giant required innovative equipment, technologies, and collaborations, The Glass Animals Project will depend upon new ideas and new approaches. An essential part of the project will be to collaborate with a large glass company such as Corning or Schott. Corning is world-renowned for their dedication to glass and has been at the forefront of advancing glass technologies for decades. Corning’s fascinating trademark which coincides well with the project “Discovering Beyond Imagination.” Schott revolutionized glass in 1887 with the invention of borosilicate glass and is currently on the cutting edge of glass production. Schott is an environmentally conscience company that represents the captivating trademark “Glass made of ideas.” Schott recently cast large glass cylinders for artist, Roni Horn. These cylinders measure 50 inches tall by 55 inches in diameter and weigh 10,000 pounds. At this scale many of the animals on the endangered species list can be cast in glass.
The Glass Animals Project will require a budget for items such as materials, equipment, labor, and overhead. Funds will be sourced through grants, donations, and crowdfunding. Each contributor donor will receive a gift of appreciation such as miniature glass animal sculpture with a certificate of authenticity connecting them to the project. Crowdfunding participation offers everyone the opportunity to feel satisfied knowing they did their part to help protect the endangered species and contribute to art on a monumental level.
Creating a documentary series about The Glass Animals Project could be both educational and entertaining. Viewers could be taken on a journey around the world, discovering new insights about endangered animals, art, science, and technology.
The animal segment of the documentary would involve traveling to the animal’s native country. Information will be shared about why the animal is on the brink of extinction and how humanity can help ensure its survival. Habitat, diet, procreation, survival skills, and other unique traits of these magnificent creatures will also be explained.
The art segment of the documentary would include the process of creating glass animal sculptures and an introduction to the artists. There would be an inside look at the design, composition, sculpting, mold making, and casting processes. An in-depth description of the lost wax process would also be covered. To begin the lost wax process, each animal will be sculpted from an oil-based clay. After the clay sculpture is complete, it will then go through multiple molds, eventually becoming a solid glass sculpture of the animal. Interviews will allow the artist to share their passions, talents and backgrounds. The conversation would also give them the opportunity to pay homage and celebrate the cultural significance of each animal.
The science and technology segment would educate viewers about the state-of-the-art equipment required to produce the glass sculptures and include a detailed explanation of the annealing process. Interviews with the vast team of people who worked on the project will allow for insight into how these masterpieces came to fruition.
The Glass Animals Project provides a way for humankind to work in unison for the greater good of the planet. Just as The Glass Giant made history in the 1930s, The Glass Animals Project could once again advance the capabilities of glass in conjunction with sustaining life of endangered species. The United Nations recently declared 2022 the International Year of Glass in which over 75 countries have decided to participate. In the official press release announcing the International Year of Glass it states, “IYOG2022 is a dream come true, one we scarcely dared to anticipate. We are moved by the joy of dreams fulfilled, prepared for challenges ahead and limited only by our imaginations.” Now is the opportune time to answer the question: Is it possible to cast life-size glass animals?