“T

he chandelier is made of slip-cast porcelain and is illuminated from the inside with neon tubes. I start with a single piece of paper and fold and score it into the shape you see. After stiffening it with many layers of polyurethane, I make a plaster mold off of the paper positive. The mold is then used to make the slip cast form, which gets fired until it is translucent—there is no glaze added. The yellowish glow is the natural color of the porcelain itself. The top few inches of each porcelain tube are dipped in a silicone mixture to add a color and texture at the top. The tubes are then hung and wired together to the transformer that is required to power the neon.”—E.Z.