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Research at the Institute of International Research in Glass (IIRG), into the combination of water-jet cutting and print for glass has been influential in the offering of insights and new working methods for the international community of artists and designers within and beyond the creative glass community, which in turn has resulted in the production of innovative artworks, public commissions and exhibitions. Innovations in technique have influenced the commissioning and interpretation of artworks for the cultural sector.
Christopher Taylor and Craig Wood Creative Partnership is a collaborative fine art practice-based research partnership. Their research is underpinned by interactivity and participation which seeks to dissolve the boundaries in creative practice via public exhibitions, educational events and the commercialisation opportunities of practice-based fine art research. This has resulted in a series of innovative wallpaper designs, commercially produced by international wall coverings manufacturer Graham & Brown. These designs have acted as catalysts for wider public engagement with creative practice, knowledge exchange between academia and the creative business sector, and commercialisation initiatives which have contributed to innovation within the international wallpaper business sector and the economic prosperity of an international manufacturing company.
The artist John Piper, and his wife, the editor, anthologist and librettist Myfanywy Piper were key figures within the cultural field of mid-twentieth-century Britain. The research on which this case study is based brought to public attention their reclaiming for British art a sense of place, national identity and belonging. Through her books, essays, public lectures, journalism, appearances at literary and arts festivals and on radio and television Frances Spalding's research on the Pipers and their contribution to British culture has made a major impact on public life. The research has influenced cultural, heritage, and media organisations, directly altered policy on conservation of heritage, and shaped the cultural understanding of informed audiences, both in Britain and abroad.
Andrew Burton's practice-based visual arts research, presented through international public exhibitions, commissions, illustrated lectures, conference presentations and publications has impacted on international cultural life and public discourse around the creative intersection between the worlds of sculpture, ceramics, architecture and craft. This research has:
a) provided opportunities for public audiences to experience unique artworks which embody and combine an articulation of fine art and craft sensibilities, methods and skills;
b) stimulated practitioner-led debate around the relationships between the practices and educational disciplines of sculpture, ceramics, architecture and craft.
Projects within the Silicates Research Unit have expanded the aesthetic and technical boundaries of ceramic materials and have had a significant impact on sustainable practices and materials within contemporary design. In response to increasingly stringent sustainable construction legislation, an AHRC Grant (£163,000) funded Binns and Bremner's development of a unique process for converting low-value mineral waste into high-value architectural products, avoiding reliance on non-replenishable materials.
Testing by the Environment Agency National Testing Laboratory has verified their innovative material meets British Standards for architectural materials (UK patent application, currently pending publication). It has also confirmed that the incorporation of Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) lead bearing glass (designated by the Environment Agency as hazardous waste) in the new material results in the lead content being safely encapsulated, offering a solution to the global problem of hazardous CRT waste glass recycling - allowing CRT glass to be re-classified as a safe raw material.
Novel low-wear, high-strength glass-ceramics were developed at Queen Mary in 2000-2011 by Dr Cattell's team to prevent facture and wear of dental ceramic restorations. Over three million restorations have been provided for patients and sold in 46 countries. The product has won industry awards for clinical and cosmetic excellence from the Clinical Research Associates and Dental Advisor, who externally assess products for consumers. The product uses a 100% pain-free minimally invasive approach, saving as much as 20% enamel reduction per patient, as tooth preparation and anaesthesia are not required. We also estimate a substantial reduction in tooth enamel wear of 43-46% for this nano-scale product compared to commercial porcelain. It has high patient acceptance and satisfaction, and has received media coverage worldwide.
Afterall is a research and publishing organisation founded in 1998 by Research Fellow Charles Esche and Professor Mark Lewis at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London (UAL). Afterall focuses on contemporary art, and its relationship to wider theoretical, social and political fields. Researchers associated to Afterall undertake and commission research, which is disseminated to an international audience through publications and events. Afterall impacts on the cultural sector and an extended audience by providing a platform for critical and creative responses to art, curatorial and cultural practice and by shaping discourse in this area. The significance and wide reach of this impact is demonstrated through partnerships and high-profile cultural events, publication reach, and support from the cultural community.
The glass industry uses theoretical modelling to control, improve, and reduce the cost of designing and manufacturing novel glass products. Market-leaders [text removed for publication], Schott AG and Pilkington have developed modelling software which is underpinned by equations stemming from research at the University of Oxford.
[text removed for publication]. The same modelling approach is used in software developed by Schott which is now used in all of its modelling of drawing processes to reduce both development costs and the incidence of faults. Pilkington have implemented research performed at the University of Oxford to decrease the risk associated with manufacturing processes.
The Great East Window of York Minster, featuring the Apocalypse in 77 scenes designed by John Thornton of Coventry, 1405-8, is the largest expanse of medieval glass in Britain and one of the world's great masterpieces of monumental painting. Uniquely for any conservation project of the kind, research by four art historians at the University of York has underpinned, shaped and enabled both its conservation and its interpretation. Their research guided the conservation method statement, central to the success of the £10.5 million Heritage Lottery Fund grant that is paying for the conservation work as part of the York Minster Revealed project. The research also continues to inform daily work on every panel through the East Window Advisory Group, of which the York art historians are members. Unprecedented in stained glass conservation, this partnership between scholars and conservators has established a new benchmark for best practice, recognized by national institutions. The York art historians' research has also enabled the display and interpretation of the window to the public, as a central feature of the tourist experience and economy in York, and in other media, including newspapers, television and the worldwide web.
Martin Kemp's research on Leonardo da Vinci has had a significant impact on the presentation of cultural heritage. Combining scientific approaches and connoisseurship, his research — presented both in academic works and through books written for a general audience — has received a high level of publicity and garnered a large and wide-ranging following. In turn, this prominence has influenced professional practice in relation to the authentication of artwork and the public understanding of the various issues surrounding artistic authenticity, as well as having a potentially significant effect on the commercial value of specific works.