»twisty cup pro-am
This battle royale pits glassblowers from around the world in fierce competition to determine who is the ultimate Maestro of the Twisty Cup. Competitors (both professional and amateur) vie for this proud title as well as valuable prizes from sponsors such as Spiral Arts, Hot Glass Color & Supply, Gaffer Glass USA Ltd, and urbanXchange. Generous support is also provided by The Swiss and Oliver Doriss Design.
Judges have included esteemed glass professionals Luca Rattazzi, Fred Metz, Paul Cunningham, Paul Marioni, and Walt Lieberman. Judging criteria has included (but is not limited to): thinness, punty break off, ridge definition, evenness, number of heats taken, crispness of cup, performance, and artistic merit.
Video courtesy of exit133
What is a twisty cup and why does M-Space devote a competition to it?
A twisty cup is a very thin glass with twisted ridges spiraling down the sides and the bottom. The ridges come from a glass bubble being blown into a small mold, called an optic mold. When done properly, it only takes a few minutes for a glassblower to complete a twisty cup. Any flaw in glassblowers working process is easily detectable due to the look of the cup or the fact that it will often break in the process.
Twisty cups are an Italian-style glassblowing universal and offer glassblowers a rare opportunity to (somewhat) objectively compete in a normally subjective artistic community. Otherwise, how would glassblowers get to parade around the shop with a big belt over their head yelling, “I’m the Champion!”
Congratulations to our 2007 Champions Benjamin Cobb (center) and Samantha Scalise (right, below)!
