Radhika infuses fun into upcycling glass bottles

One such individual, who has mastered this, sits behind a table in her studio, squinting at a glass bottle with a flame lit in front of her. She claims this is one of the most versatile materials and can be upcycled and used for so many purposes — gardening, interiors, arts and crafts. 

Radhika Krish now settled in Chennai, studied Fine Arts at Ohio State University and specialised in glass as a medium. Goli Soda Glass Studio in Palavakkam is where she practices various techniques like melting and sculpting glass. At least three days in a month, she also conducts workshops where she teaches a method called flame/ torchworking. 

“I wanted to diversify the subjects a little bit so I additionally began teaching people about upcycling. A lot of people are interested in this because it works on the concept of DIY — as long as you understand the science behind glass, creating things with it becomes very easy,” she says. 

Another advantage is that any hobbyist can pursue this with a minimal investment even at home, as opposed to crafts like pot-making, “Because that requires specific raw material, LPG connections, oxygen tanks, etc.,” she explains.

The class begins with an introduction about what glass is and how thermal shocking can be applied to cut it. A bottle is ‘scored’, then heated and immediately cooled; this forms a stress line on the bottle, resulting in a precise and clean cut. 

Radhika tells us, “Each bottle requires a different level of shocking depending on the thickness. As of now, I’m helping people work on round bottles because rectangular or odd-shaped ones need some more practice.” 

She continues, “Once they’re cut, we go into the finishing stages whereby we give people ideas or they have their own as to how to use the bottle. Before completion, the pieces need to be polished for a smooth finish, though.” 

One of the women at the workshop, who specialises in making terrariums and bonsai arrangements, wanted to learn about using round bottles for plants. 

“Using bottles converted into pots are actually great for this purpose, or to grow herbs in a kitchen garden, because you can arrange them vertically and they take up very little space. Some people convert them into lamp shades, others use it for decoupage, so it’s up to an individual what they want to make from it,” smiles Radhika. There are a specific set of tools used to drill holes into the cut glass, in case wiring needs to be passed through for light fixtures. “These tools can also be bought with a minimal investment and used at home,” she assures. For the next workshop schedule and information, visit Goli Soda Glass Studio’s Facebook page.