The making process of Mother of Pearl is truly part of the body of the artwork, where physical, repetitive labour alternates with concentrated attention and care towards the shell’s surface, curves, shapes, dents, coloration, and textures.

In the first stage of the process, the shells are carefully cast in a biodegradable material that meticulously takes over every detail of their model. This creates a mold, which is filled with gypsum to reproduce the shells one-to-one. As can be seen, this process produces highly defined reproductions, so the glass may be molded around it without having to subject the shells to the immense heat of the glass melting process.

After the reproductions have fully dried, a glass plate is cut to size for each shell. Together, the reproductions and the glass plates are placed in the kiln. Carefully built up, predicting the spacing and angle that will allow for the glass to properly envelope the model, finally, the kiln is closed and fired. The technique is called ‘slumping’, allowing the heat to gently fold the glass around an object. After a test run in the small kiln, this picture shows the result of the first full batch of shells from the flatbed kiln.

Next, the glass shells need to be cut to size and then hand-formed to follow the exact curves of the real shell. Physical labor, working routinely, involves using a glass saw and a polishing machine. Finally, each edge is sanded smooth, progressing through 6-8 stages, all by hand. When all shells are perfectly fitted with their bespoke protective glass shell, the two still need to be attached.

With alpaca thread, a rack with four legs is forged following the exact curves of the shell, then sanded and polished to shine. Each shell is carefully cleaned with a soft brush and some water. Using goldsmithing techniques, the shell is next set into the glass like a jewel. This requires skill, attention, and the right balance of force versus gentleness, as the shells are so fragile that they can easily crack. Finally, the legs are cut to length and filed down.

After the shell and glass are joined, the electronics are added, and the tiny shade that directs the light is placed on the shell’s interior to fix the LED. When all wires are soldered and connected to a power supply, the final task is to set the light onto the pearls, as a true mother of pearl.