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Ceramics & Glass (MA)

Zihao Xiong

A fusion of metal and glass.

Born and raised in a mountain town in China, Zihao abandoned his studies in economics in 2017 to pursue glass art in Canada. During his BFA (Hons) he was awarded an International Baccalaureate Scholarship and a funded Artist Residency in Toronto. In 2021, he continued his materials research at the Royal College of Art with a full grant from the China Scholarship Council and graduated with an MA in Ceramics & Glass.

Zihao is one of the first fellows of the Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle. His research was awarded first prize in the Tin project by The Worshipful Company of Tin Plate Workers, alias Wire Workers of the City of London, and Zihao was invited to become an Honorary Yeoman.



Degree Details

School of Arts & HumanitiesCeramics & Glass (MA)RCA2023 at Truman Brewery

Truman Brewery, F Block, Ground, first and second floors

Zihao was blowing glass at Toronto Harbourfront Centre

The essence of casting is predetermined, while the mould is a collection of expectations and definitions. Zihao’s practice is experimental and based on transforming and fusing different materials in a changing environment. This series of works is formed by casting glass and metal together but is not entirely bound or defined by the mould.


The method of shaping the work draws on the ancient ritual process of wax divination known as carromancy. It is an attempt to use fate to represent the opposite of certainty. Zihao’s castings are achieved through a fusion of different materials and highlight the uncertainty of the making process, which often reveals new possibilities.





A fusion casting of metal and glass
Un-3 – My research in this project is based on the material reaction between glass and tin, observing the resistance, fusion and regeneration between the two under temperature changes.
A fusion casting of metal and glass
Un-3 (detail)
A fusion casting of metal and glass
Un-3 (detail)
A fusion casting of metal and glass
Un-3 (detail)
A fusion casting of metal and glass
Un-3

Medium:

Lead crystal, metal

Size:

6.5*6.5*3.8 cm each
definitionsdivinationfusionglassglasssculpturemetalpredetermined
A fusion casting of metal and glass
Un-2 – The coefficient of expansion, or COE, is the biggest issue when we try to mix and cast with two materials, as this causes internal stress to crack the glass. I have tried various materials, such as ceramics, bronze, and silver, but none of them can be perfectly integrated with glass as well as tin.
A fusion casting of metal and glass
Un-2 (back)

Medium:

Lead crystal, metal

Size:

15*12*8 cm
definitionsdivinationfusionglasssculpturemetalpredetermined
A fusion casting of metal and glass
Un-8(detail) – Due to the low melting temperature of tin, the problem of the inability to fuse glass and metal caused by the COE problem can be solved. And depending on the oxygen content and temperature in the kiln, different colours can appear on tin, from gold to silver to grey.
A fusion casting of metal and glass
Un-8

Medium:

Lead crystal, metal

Size:

21*21*3.5 cm
definitionsdivinationfatalismglasssculpturepredetermined
A fusion casting of metal and glass
Un-6 – Tin is a perfect material for this experiment. The beauty of tin is that can open up new possibilities in the material of arts and crafts. There is no end to the potential for investigation and research about them.
A fusion casting of metal and glass
Un-6(detail)

Medium:

Lead crystal, metal

Size:

21*21*3.5 cm
definitionsdivinationfatalismfusionglasssculpturepredetermined
A fusion casting of metal and glass
Un-1
A fusion casting of metal and glass
Un-1(detail)
A bronze casting piece
Un-A – Establishing connections to the environment that surrounds us is how we learn. We always create a confined area as we define things. Just like the casting itself, the mould exists while constructing the identity of the form. And the definition of the mould creates boundaries. The boundary represents a dynamic connection between restraint and transformation, resistance and symbiosis, identification and negation, self and non-ego, and inner reality and external perception.
Casting process
Casting process
Casting process
Casting process
Casting process
Casting process
Casting process

China Scholarship Council (CSC)

https://www.csc.edu.cn
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Royal College of Art

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