From gin bottles to glass figures, the Surrey artist giving waste new life
Recycling doesn’t have to be dull. Anna Johnson meets the Surrey creative who has it down to a fine art...
In 2015, thousands of tiny, identically shaped glass figures began appearing across the UK and beyond, each with a note attached that read: ‘Please look after me.’ One was found by the White Cliffs of Dover, another at the Grand Canyon. Sometimes the colourful creations are configured in groups of 13 – a baker’s dozen of enigmatic miniature sculptures.
The notes describe the previous incarnation of the sculpture – a Bombay Sapphire Gin bottle, for example, or a Marmite jar – and introduce the fortunate finders to Hannah Gibson, an award-winning artist and geologist on a mission to make people more aware of the recyclability of glass.
“There’s always some serendipity at play,” explains the East Horsley resident, who leaves her email address on each figure. “The right person seems to find it at the right time in the right place. I’ve left some near Charing Cross Hospital, and patients undergoing chemotherapy have found them. When people are in their most fragile moments, they have a symbol of strength and warmth to hold in their pockets.”
Hannah’s innovative skill is currently on show at the Museum of Brands, in Notting Hill, as part of the largest ever exhibition of recycled cast glass figures, each one made from a different type of the material.
Glass Renewed: Hannah Gibson and the History of Glass explores the importance of honouring the past, present and future of glass, from Jägermeister bottles to car windscreens. Included in the display – which also draws on the museum’s own archive – are 13 items from Hannah’s series Whispering Sweet Nothings, discreetly hidden for people to find and keep.
Growing up in the shadow of Snowdonia, Hannah developed an early interest in geology, which she later studied at the University of Edinburgh. Her historian mother and engineer father had always encouraged her to question what lay beneath her feet.
After graduating, she took a course in glass, and a second passion was born. In 2015, she enrolled for an MA at the University for the Creative Arts in Farnham, where she frequently returns.
Today, she spends much time analysing glass salvaged from broken bottles, which she moulds and fires for new creations shown everywhere from Japan to Detroit.
Friends, family and strangers all donate glass – the Bombay Sapphire Gin bottle arrived this morning – and Hannah often speaks at local schools.
“Usually children are told: ‘Don’t touch it, it’s dangerous,’” she says. “I want to turn that on its head and say: ‘Touch it, ask questions.’ It’s a way of sparking vital conversations about recycling.”
And it’s recycling that lies at the heart of her work.
“We see the impact of not recycling on the news, like plastic bags washed ashore getting tangled in birds’ beaks. Always we show problems. I want to offer solutions.”
Glass Renewed is at the Museum of Brands until Aug 17 (book via museumofbrands.com). For more of Hannah’s work: @hannahgibsonglass and hannahgibsonglass.co.uk.
Where to recycle in Surrey
- Surrey’s Community Recycling Centres (CRCs) – including Guildford, Dorking, Epsom, Leatherhead and Woking – accept materials including batteries, electrical goods, paint, garden waste, plastics and paper.
- High street retailer Boots offers recycling for beauty and personal care products via its Recycle and Reward scheme. Simply return your empty packaging from cosmetics and toiletries.
- H&M runs a clothing recycling programme in its stores. Drop off old clothes (regardless of brand) and, in return, you receive a voucher for a discount on your next purchase.
- Lush has a Bring It Back scheme, aimed at encouraging customers to return empty cosmetic containers for recycling. Once you have returned five empty pots, you will receive a free product.
- Currys offers a free in-store recycling service for small electrical items and batteries, as well as a collection service for larger appliances when you purchase new ones.
- John Lewis accepts small electrical items and batteries for recycling and has a recycling point in the electronics section.
- B&Q has a recycling service for old electricals, including light bulbs and batteries, and accepts used paint for recycling. It also offers a wood recycling service in some locations.
- M&S has a Plastic Takeback initiative, whereby one can return hard-to-recycle plastics (like food wrappers and crisp packets) to special in-store collection points.