Recycled Glass Weather Data Tile Installation

This 100-square-foot recycled glass tile project transforms discarded materials into a work of art with lasting function. The tiles began with an eclectic mix of glass: bottles, windows, picture frames, and even remnants from past art projects. Each piece was hand-crushed into a fine powder, reducing it to a raw, elemental state. From there, I translated weather data from the 2013 Calgary floods into a series of curvilinear mould designs—forms I had developed in my studio practice and here reimagined in a functional context. Using these handmade moulds, I packed the powdered glass with water and froze it into sculptural “ice cubes.” Once solid, the frozen forms were flash-fired in my glass kiln, a rapid heating process that fused the powder into one solid mass while preserving the original mould’s contours. These fired slabs were then cut on a wet saw into subway-style tiles. The cutting process revealed subtle variations in texture and tone, evidence of the many glass sources blending together. The combined colors of the original glass created a deep, dark grey—almost black—offering a sleek and contemporary aesthetic that belies the patchwork origins of the material. The finished tiles were installed as a backsplash in my mother’s kitchen, a personal choice that ties the work back to its roots in family and home. Beyond their visual impact, the tiles carry a layered narrative: the environmental memory embedded in the flood data forms, the reclamation of waste materials, and the transformation of glass from fragility into enduring strength. This project bridges my sculptural practice with functional design, turning climate-inspired forms into a surface that is touched, cleaned, and lived with daily—proof that art and sustainability can coexist in the most intimate spaces.