This week’s Friday film is our last craft film from the wonderful British Council Film Department Catalogue.

Made in 1943, ‘Looking Through Glass’ is a black and white focus on hand and machine glass making.

The piece features shots of Professor William E. S. Turner (1881-1963) considered one of the great pioneers of glass research and technology. It features shots of furnaces, molten glass, glass being created, shaped, polished. 

The film was made in a time of war, when glass was being manufactured on a large scale to assist both in ‘meeting the needs of war’ as it was ‘meeting the needs of peace.’ 

The importance of glass manufacturing during the war is highlighted in the film, as machines help build medical instruments, parts for fighter planes, lenses for film cameras. However, it is all with an optimistic note.

“So, Britain makes glass. Glass to invite the sunlight into her houses, into her factories, and into her schools. Looking through glass, we see a brighter future.”

Watch Looking Through Glass:

Looking Through Glass (1943) from British Council Film on Vimeo.

(Video not playing? Watch Looking Through Glass on vimeo.) 

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Get involved

If you have an online craft film you would like to share, we would love to hear from you. We're looking for films that showcase craft makers, special craft projects/exhibitions, enterprises, or other fun and quirky films that help to celebrate craft. 

It could be a film of you at work, a narrated film about the inspiration behind your craft, a film made for an exhibition, or something else. 

Just email laura@craftscotland.org with the following details:

• A short description of the film, including any credits
• A link to the film on YouTube, Vimeo, or another channel
• Whether or not you have a profile page on Craft Scotland

You do not need to be on the Craft Scotland site to send us your films, but films about Scottish craft, makers and places will be given priority.

Alternatively, you can tweet a link to your craft film to @craftscotland.

Please note: at this stage we are not looking for instructional, 'how to' type videos for this feature.