Glazing over technology – when traditional craft meets tech

Developed by Gray’s School of Art Technical Services Officer, Helen Love, in collaboration with Aberdeen-based creative design studio, Design and Code, 'The Glaze Spectrum’ will provide an open source platform for anyone to use.

The library, which will also feature as a physical installation at the new Aberdeen Art Gallery, uses all natural metal oxides, minerals and clays to create a vast spectrum of colours, and will be an invaluable tool for learning about the foundations of ceramic glazes.

For the more advanced users, it's a place to compare glaze features such as colours and certain firings.

The interactive web app will feature 500 different glazes, all of which are searchable via a number of different options, including colour, firing, oxide and clay.

Helen commented: “In 2016 I was commissioned by Aberdeen Art Gallery to create an original installation for their reopening.

“Through doing this for the past two years, I've collected a vast amount of data that I'd like to share with the wider world as I thinks it’s an invaluable resource for anyone working in ceramics.

“On a local scale, the students here at Gray’s School of Art will really benefit from having this at their fingertips, but I genuinely believe this will have a global appeal.

“The team at Design and Code have really captured where I wanted to go with this project and have created an interactive web app which anyone will be able to utilise.”

Helen met Colin Leonard, Director of Design and Code at a Pecha Kucha night run by Look Again, part of Gray’s School of Art. 

Colin commented: “We were thrilled when Helen asked Design and Code to collaborate with her on the project. It's an amazing piece of work, a two-year labour of love!

“The Aberdeen creative scene is blossoming - there's so much happening right now so we're delighted to be able to contribute and help share this valuable resource.

“Over the past 6 months our digital team has been working with Helen to develop the initial wireframes and app prototype designs. We're really looking forward to launching this colourful project out to a wider global audience.”

If you would like to help fund this project, the team behind the Glaze Spectrum and interactive web app has set up a crowdfunding page - www.gofundme.com/bcaah-the-glaze-library.