Axle 2022 

By Jahday Ford 

Axle is a family of vessels which combine ancient glass techniques with contemporary innovation, challenging what is possible with the material today. Led by an interest in the complex relationship between the digital and the hand-made form, I primarily use 3D modelling software to develop the designs for my work. These are then transferred into wood with a CNC cutting process to make moulds that can be used in combination with traditional glass blowing techniques to create multiple vessels. 

The title of the collection comes from the method of movement used to forge it - replicating that of an axle as a turning object or rotator used to move structures and generate momentum. Inspired by the processes of industrial manufacturing I constantly aim to combine technical excellence and precision with the creation of objects that are precious and unique. By transferring a digital model into physical craft materials, it creates an evolution from a computer coded object into a three-dimensional form that carries the characteristics of both processes.

“I’m always curious about how humans engage with materials, and how as a craftsman I can have heightened responses to the material in the moment of making. Different processes affect materials in different ways, but so do different people and their methods. These vessels physically freeze a moment in time which not only emulates my maker's hand, but also the digital designer in direct and precise harmony. It’s as close as I can get to the glass. I have used contemporary technology to push the possibilities of process and form in an ancient material. I find this relationship between past, present and future exceptionally intriguing.”