Glass
Filmed in real time and without voiceover or music, this is a portrait of the making of a simple glass jug by glass designer Michael Ruh.
The first episode in the Handmade series, part of BBC Four Goes Slow, is a filmed portrait of the making of a simple glass jug.
Filmed in real time and without voiceover or music, the focus is entirely on the craft process, an absorbing, repetitive process of blowing and rolling as glass designer Michael Ruh delicately teases and manipulates the molten glass into shape.
Ruh is a designer of contemporary glass objects, but the method by which he creates them is essentially ancient.
Glass is heated in a crucible until it becomes liquid. Ruh's task, shared with his assistant, is to keep the glass hot and in constant motion as he breathes into it and gradually shapes the expanding globe into the form of a jug.
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How designer glassmaker Michael Ruh uses traditional methods to make a simple glass jug
“I am mesmerised by the movement of the glass”
Clips
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The world seen through glass, brightly
Duration: 03:22
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Getting a handle on the jug is the hardest part
Duration: 01:19
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Michael Ruh - glass-making, blow by blow
Duration: 05:22
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Participant | Michael Ruh |
| Executive Producer | Richard Bright |
| Director | Ian Denyer |
Broadcasts
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Handmade
Series filmed without voiceover or music so the focus is entirely on the craft process.
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BBC Four Goes Slow
Slow down the pace, sit back, relax and enjoy.
Three master makers reflect on the challenges and rewards of their crafts
Take a quiet, unhurried look at the philosophy of each master craftsman.
Director Ian Denyer on making Slow Television
“The brief was brief: no words, no music, long, very long held shots.”