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Making the Pride Progress flag in fused glass

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Project concept

‘Making Progress’ is the title of a film that showcases how the Intersex-Inclusive Pride Progress flag design was crafted into a fused glass artwork.

The concept behind the creation was to create an inspirational glass artwork that represents the diverse LGBTQIA+ community.

The aim is that when the artwork is illuminated, it projects a rainbow of colours, creating a reassuring and hopeful presence.

Crafting fused glass

Glass artist Bruno Romanelli crafted two fused glass artworks featuring the same flag design.

To improve the visual details of the second artwork, Bruno worked with larger 50 x 40cm sheets of Bullseye glass.

In the second artwork, Bruno adjusted how the glass diagonals intersected each other, aligning in the centre.

The kiln temperatures were reduced by 50 degrees during the ‘full fuse’ and ‘tack fuse’ stages of the second artwork.

The reduced kiln temperatures produced a sharper, more defined edge from the flag to the backing sheet for the second artwork.

Thanks to Ian Chadwick for sharing his specialist knowledge around creating fused glass art.

Showing Bruno Romanelli making the Pride Progress flag in fused glass, being filmed with two cameras and lit by two lights in a dark studio.
Bruno Romanelli making the first Pride Progress flag in fused glass

Film production

Another aim in commissioning the artwork was to document by filming the crafting process, so that the idea and concept could be shared more widely.

Filming with two cameras, Bruno’s very precise measurements and skilled workmanship of the first artwork being crafted were captured.

Filming took place over two days at Bruno’s studio in South London.

A Lumix GH7 with a Leica 42.5 f1.2 was used for the majority of the filming. I also used a Lumix Gh6 with Samsung primes and a Metabones Speedbooster XL 0.64.

Sound was recorded using two directional microphones, one for each camera. Two Dedo spotlights were used for lighting.

5 hours of 16:9 footage were edited down into a 7-minute short film. The 7-minute film highlights the key stages of artwork creation and includes some helpful tips.

A faster cut 9:16 Instagram reel with subtitles was also edited with a shorter duration of 2’24”.

The 7-minute film is available to view in 3840 x 2160 Ultra High Definition (UHD) on Vimeo.