Exhibitionists·Video

In snowy Yellowknife, Old Town Glassworks is transforming waste into beautiful objects

Matthew Grogono and his team transform old bottles using a variety of tools, as well as the inspiration of the forest, animals and the aurora borealis.

Matthew Grogono: 'We try to take material out of the waste stream and put it back in the economy'

(CBC Arts)

Bottles can become part of the detritus of a town, turning up in dumps or discarded on a bench. In Yellowknife's Old Town, though, there's a team at work to take these forgotten pieces of glass and turn them into something entirely new. And as a result, filmmaker Caroline Cox points out that many Yellowknifers have a glass or two in their cupboard made at Old Town Glassworks

Watch the video:

Yellowknife's Old Town Glassworks

5 years ago
Duration 3:12
Mark Grogono of Old Town Glassworks breaks down how waste glass turns into magical etchings in his Yellowknife workshop. Filmmaker: Caroline Cox

Lest you think you can try this at home, think again. In this video made by Cox, Old Town Glassworks's Matthew Grogono discusses some of the tools essential to the transformation of old glass into beautiful piece of home decor. You'll need an industrial grinder and a sandblaster, so what Old Town Glassworks does is not exactly a DIY-at-home craft.

Or, you know, you can hop a plane (or a snowmobile) and take a workshop at Old Town Glassworks. Follow them here and visit their website to plan your visit.

(CBC Arts)
(CBC Arts)
(CBC Arts)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lise Hosein is a producer at CBC Arts. Before that, she was an arts reporter at JazzFM 91, an interview producer at George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight and a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto. When she's not at her CBC Arts desk she's sometimes an art history instructor and is always quite terrified of bees.