Having worked closely with the Manchester School of Art (part of Manchester Metropolitan University) on a recent exhibition piece, we are now in talks with them to provide workshops/advice on the neon making process, and how this could be incorporated into the work of students who follow the Three Dimensional Design BA (Hons) degree course.

Three Dimensional Design is a studio and workshop based programme, which supports students in a range of craft and design for production practices, including glass blowing and hot glass.

We recently manufactured a neon light in the form of a tree, which was then sandwiched between a glass tree shape, which was produced from traditional and contemporary glass processes, including water jet cutting. A red and blue version of the neon light were made, with the red one eventually being chosen for the final display piece.

We are now liaising with Kirsteen Aubrey, Lecturer on the degree course, and David Crow, Head of Department of Design, as to how we can work closely with them to develop different ways that neon can be used with different materials, and we are looking at organising a series of workshops in which students can come into the glass shop to see how neon lights are manufactured.