The neon pieces explore possibilities for sculptural lighting and pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved with conventional neon making in terms of size and colours and are opening up new aesthetic qualities. Each is one of its kind or part of a very small edition. Conventional neons use thin diameter tubing and are usually flat mounted onto a backboard. I am using much bigger and thicker borosilicate glass tubing, which allows me to make strong and self supporting 3d shapes. With the increase in width the light also takes on more physical qualities; the light emanates as a volume, rather than as the lines and contours of a traditional neon.
The forms play with the light emitted by the different rare gases, the undulating tube subtly manipulates the light, softening and intensifying it in turns. There are no coatings or filaments, just pure light radiating from within the tube. When switched off, only the clear or coloured glass form remains. In the blue piece, for example, the light is filled with argon and mercury. Helium produces a white to pinkish light and Neon gas a red glow.