In 2022, Nicolas Garnier wrote to us from Aveyron, France:
“(…) where I live. I uncovered the remains of a glass kiln in my yard that was established in 1639 by the Bonhol family (originally from Altare). There are many subsequent forest kilns and rudimentary setups after the establishment of the kiln in my yard where a permanent activity seems to have preceded the 18th and 19th-century melting workshops. (…)
I have collected numerous shards of glass, lumps of frit, and residual slag that will be analyzed.
This is quartz glass made using fluxes derived from ferns, beech, and salicornia to compensate for the insufficient temperature produced by wood heating.
The archaeological material will be archived, but I have set aside a few shards to consider remelting with professionals in this field, with authorization from the DRAC director.”

Thus, a few weeks later, we received at the workshop fragments of quartz glass worked by fellows from another era.
The historical significance of this material greatly impressed us at first. At first, we were not sure of our legitimacy to transform these pieces of history.
Nicolas showed great confidence, regularly sharing images and updates from the excavations.
“Toutes directions” is the current name of the workshop where this kiln was located.

We fused a few fragments on a rod, just enough to form a bead. A sort of converging lens to direct the sun’s rays to a point.
Using the GPS coordinates of the location, we engraved a dial tracing the course of the sun from that spot. It is not a shadow that tells the time, but a point of light passing through the ancient glass, materializing all directions of time.