In 2018 Rachel was commissioned by People Express & Nestle to create a new public art sculpture. ‘Gob’, is made from cast bronze and stainless steel, sitting on a plinth of pink Derbyshire sandstone.

Designed to be part of the Salt Brook Heritage Trail, Hatton, Derbyshire, the sculpture takes inspiration from the glass blowing industry that once thrived in the area.

A rod and moyle is dipped into molten glass and collects just enough to create the glass item, this is blown expanding the form. A little more heat and the molten glass called a gob is lowered into a mould which is closed around it, hence the saying “Shut ya gob”. The Gob is blown once more which expands into the mould, it picks up the designs or inscriptions in the mould. From here the finished blown glass is placed into a kiln to anneal (cool down slowly).

The bronze sculpture takes the shape of a Gob suspended in an open mould shape created from stainless steel blow rods.

During the course of this commission Rachel interviewed retired glass makers and visited a working glass museum.