Derived from certain pate de verre techniques, kiln casting consists of fusing and forming bits of cold glass of various sizes in refractory molds. A single block of glass can also be placed inside a mold, filling it almost entirely; this block will soften when heated to the necessary temperature, shy of fusion, and fill the mold -- a process well suited for use with blocks of optic glass called slump casting. When this method is impracticable, there exist two other solutions. The mold can be packed with crushed or ground glass of varying coarseness which will fuse and amalgamate. In this procedure there is very little displacement of material inside the mold, but to offset any empty spaces between the grains of glass, either a reserve of additional material must be provided at the top of the mold, or it must be possible to control firing in such a way as to allow for augmenting the supply of glass as needed. While providing excellent aesthetic possibilities, this second method called static casting does pose certain technical challenges. A third method, facilitating the fabrication of high quality work, consists of placing an empty mold inside the kiln, and positioning above it a separate receptacle, fitted with a drain, oriented along the mold’s central axis; this receptacle is filled with crushed glass that liquefies when fired and flows through the drain into the mold in a process called dribble casting. Before casting can happen however, a prototype must be made, from which is fashioned a mold that resists the high temperatures and influences of molten glass. The most common procedure consists of executing a wax model around which is constructed a mold. But the prototype can also be made of any number of materials and serve as a matrix for several lost wax molds. After casting it is often necessary to cold finish the piece to remove any unwanted traces of the mold and achieve the desired polish.

This technique, rooted in the ancient techniques of metal casting, has developed rapidly as an art form since the late 1950’s, spurred on by Czech artists Stanislav Libensky and Jaroslava Brychtova’s historic first piece “The Kiss” (1958). Following in their footsteps an entire generation of disciples would gain renown for their work in this field, Ivan Mares, Frantisek Janak, Jaromir Rybak... Their followers in turn from Europe and the world over would include Sweden’s Ann Wolff and England’s Colin Reid. The Slovak artist Yann Zoritchak, residing in France since the 1970’s, will innovate kiln casting, using uniquely personal techniques that combine metal leaf and light powders with optic glass, creating a cosmic universe reflected in pieces whose transparence is magnified with extraordinary polishing.

The Czech school continues to produce important work, with for example the creations rich in contrast of Gisela Sabokova. Also of note are the pieces of restrained lyricism by the Slovak artist Eva Fiserova. But room must be made for the poetic machines of glass by Holland’s Vincent Van Ginneke, as well as the work of France’s Bernard Dejonghe, whose explorations are closely tied to land art and raise the art of glass sculpture to new heights of exacting precision.