Long before it became fashionable or even mainstream, artist and designer Chris Munford, was committed to using recycled materials in his art. The ability to coax whimsical, beautiful and functional works of art from 100% recycled glass is no small feat, but Bedrock Industries located in Seattle is doing just that.
The American company creates one of a kind art installations, garden sculptures, stunning glass tiles, recycled beer bottle glasses and even quirky mobiles. We caught up with Chris Munford to ask a few questions about working with recycled glass and about his fabulous recycled glass robots.
Tell us a bit about your company.
Founded in 1992, dedicated to creating beautiful products from 100% recycled glass collected only from local sources.
Please describe the type of artwork you make.
Our main product is our Blazestone recycled glass tile. We also have an amazing offering of home and garden decor, from modern and classic to kind of, well goofy.
How much recycled glass do you use?
Again it's 100% recycled material, we process everything here at our Seattle factory. We estimate we use 250 tons of glass every year.
Is recycled glass harder to work with?
Simply put, yes!
What are the challenges of working with recycled glass?
Using zero new materials is a benefit, but there is a fair deal of selective collection you need to do to assure you are working with compatible glass sources. There is often an "unknowable" aspect to recycle materials that can prove very frustrating to some; we've had 17 years of experience and expertise to work from.
Are some colors difficult to find in recycled glass?
In consumer bottles blues can be rare, but very in demand. Sources for red/yellow and orange art glass or stained glass are hard to come by in the recycled world.
Where do you get your glass?
We collect everything on site from within 30 miles. We collect window glass from window and door manufacturers, glassmakers, and local contractors. We collect consumer bottle through our Bottle Drive open 7 days a week, where we pay $0.20 a pound for clean de-labelled glass. We also collect art glass and stained glass from local glass studios.
What sort of things do you make from the glass?
Our Lovestone hearts have been one of our best selling items year after year; they are simple, effective and inexpensive. Our Blazestone tile is the most far reaching and in demand products. The tumbled glass is a great product for landscaping and garden design. Our ever-changing assortment of garden items keeps our creative juices flowing.
We love your robots. What is your favorite or signature item?
I love the robots too; they are so funny and unique. I'm a big fan of our tile as it has just unlimited possibilities and gets used in so many creative installations
Is your studio open to the public?
We have a factory outlet store open 10-6pm, seven days a week; we arrange monthly tours of our factory for groups.
Visit: http://www.bedrockindustries.com/
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