Gyulai Éva - Viga Gyula (szerk.): Történet - muzeológia : Tanulmányok a múzeumi tudományok köréből a 60 éves Veres László tiszteletére (Miskolc, 2010)

ÜVEGMŰVESSÉG - ÜVEGTÖRTÉNET - Újszászy László: Az üveg misztikuma. Egy civil elmélkedése az üvegről, a több ezer éve használt műanyagról

The mysticism of glass A layman's thoughts on glass, the artificial substance used over thousands of years The glass artefacts used by ancestors can hardly be viewed as value-laden artefacts. The affection for glass is an affliction owing to the fragility of these artefacts, while an admiration of these artefacts is both a requirement and an obligation. Artefacts have a life and fate of their own. Defiantly blending into their surroundings, they forge links with their fellow-artefacts and ensnare their owners by invisible strands. Glass, the first artificial material created by man, has crept into our daily life for many thousands of years, becoming the raw material of our most often used artefacts. Its raw material is made up of nature's common minerals which, when heated, are transformed into an entirely new solid substance, whose properties most closely resemble those of liquids. Glass is both fragile and resilient, a versatile and multifunctional material, a utilitarian artefact and an aesthetic work of art, a substance capable of capturing and enclosing light. While the raw materials and the manufacturing techniques of glass have changed little over the millennia, its uses have been significantly transformed. The structure of glass and the endless possibilities of modification have resulted in a wide and ever expanding range of utilisation. Outsiders attracted to rustic glass objects have experienced the amazing properties of this strange, unusual material and its dual nature, its structural elements and their connections, as well as the physical and chemical factors affecting the appearance and shaping of glass. They are amazed by the remarkable properties of this material and often ponder the colourful world of silicates and the possible link with Silicon Valley. László Újszászy 28