The beautiful, almost crystal-like piece of glass that Dana Rooney brought in, was half of a spotlight lens from an old theatre that had split when liquid had spilled on it in its overheated state while being lit. I found the whole curve very appealing, but above all the wavy broken-off surface of the split. Looking through it, which of course I had to try, was like using a giant looking glass. Everything broke up and doubled at a distance, and trying to navigate the room while holding it up in front of my eyes almost gave me a headache, but when I got close to things and viewed them at maybe a foot away, I could see them enlarged and in exquisite detail. I just had to make a pair of glasses out of this broken lens.

To make the lens wearable, I first had to grind out a smooth notch for the nose. For this and for drilling the two screw holes for the frame, I used a diamond covered drill-bit for cutting through ceramic tiles. The wooden frame required a bit of fine wood working, which I always find highly satisfying. But the end result was so front heavy, that they would just topple over in a very charmless way, whenever taken off and placed on a table.

To solve this problem, I had to give the glass(es) a neat, little stand, which also makes it possible to present them well in a shelf or on a desk for example. This glass, at least to me, feels much too special and exclusive to just be shoved into a drawer somewhere to bang around with other acquired random objects. But the glass was not only front heavy when put away, but also when worn. They immediately wanted to fall off, and not just when one tilted the head forwards like some glasses with weak frames do. To pre-empt any accidents, I fitted the frame with a strong elastic band. Wearing the glass(es) is now not only safe, it is also elegant.