Inspired by ancient glass-making, Lulu has been creating unique glass batch recipes from local and waste materials sourced in and around the River Thames.

These include local sand samples, waste shells, and waste wood ash or bracken from the surrounding forests which are cut down for management control. 

In collaboration with the head of ecology at Thames Water, Lulu discovered a way to make use of the tonnes of quagga mussels that routinely block water pipes and cost Thames Water millions of pounds and resources to remove.

There is currently no effective way to get rid of them, with all the shell waste currently being sent to landfill. Thames Glass offers a solution for this to be used within future glass making,  giving economic and ecological value to this invasive species.

Working with Glass Blowers Sacha Delabre & Rosie Power at The Glass Hub

Throughout her work, Lulu is interested in finding alternatives to the highly processed and unsustainable materials often used in glass making and creating geo-specific glass from materials which are distinctive to a certain area.

By incorporating 21st-century waste materials into glass making, these unique collections represent the idea of Future Archaeology and rethinking the way we view glass, and waste today.

Past collections of these beautiful artefacts can be collected here.

CARAFE, TUMBLER AND TILE SET

The first prototypes of the Thames Glass carafe, tumbler and tile set. Exploring alternative applications for the glass in collaboration with Here Design, Bureau De Change, The Glass Hub, Sacha Delabre and Rosie Power. 

Mould blown, Casting 
Colour Source: Mussel shells 
Photo credit: Ben Turner 

THAMES GLASS BLUE GLASS
Hand blown 
Colour source: Mussel shells
All pieces are made at The Glass Hub in a nano-melt furnace, in collaboration with glass blowers Sacha Delabre & Rosie Power

THAMES GLASS MANGANESE GLASS
Hand blown
Colour source: Manganese 
All pieces are made at The Glass Hub in a nano-melt furnace, in collaboration with glass blowers Sacha Delabre & Rosie Power

THAMES GLASS PEARL GLASS
Hand blown 
Colour source: Local sands
All pieces are made at The Glass Hub in a nano-melt furnace, in collaboration with glass blowers Sacha Delabre & Rosie Power

THAMES GLASS GREEN GLASS
Hand blown 
Colour source: Local sands
All pieces are made at The Glass Hub in a nano-melt furnace, in collaboration with glass blower Sacha Delabre