A Historic Lighting Project

Project: Government House, Sydney, lampshades, 2020

From 2020 to 2021 Canberra Glasswork was commissioned by Government House, Sydney, to fabricate a series of 1950’s era lampshades as part of a historical restoration.

The project’s fabrication was based upon an original lampshade to replicate which was reverse engineered and handcrafted by the Glassworks’ production team. The lampshades are now publicly displayed on the original 19th century lamp posts along the entry of Government House in the Sydney Botanical Gardens.

Historic Lighting Project was filmed and produced by Weft Productions for Canberra Glassworks.

Read more about the project

Project’s processes and techniques
  • Reverse-engineered fabrication and CAD design for a two part lamp shade; an ‘acorn’ shaped body and a finial top
  • Two-part CNC cut timber moulds by Vert Design
  • Colour testing and sampling to replicate the opal white
  • Mould-blowing tests with a team of six glass blowers
  • Several mold blowing sessions with a team of six glass blowers
  • Hot-popped and cold-worked to size
  • On-site test fitting
  • Final delivery of fourteen lampshades
Fabricators

Gaffer (lead glass blower): Tom Rowney

Assistant glass blowers: Brenden Scott French, Ben Edols, Scott Chaseling, Nick Doran Adams, Thomas Peason, Aimee Frodsham, Jacqueline Knight, Matthew Curtis, Oscar Curtis, Nadina Geary

Cold workers: Peter Nilsson, Brenden Scott French, Jacqueline Knight, Tom Rowney