VOA文化艺术2022--加纳艺术家将玻璃废料变为艺术品

Ghanaian Artist Turns Glass Waste into Art

A Ghanaian man who once made jewelry¹ from glass beads³ is now using old glass to make new art.

He hopes to reduce glass waste and help the environment in his country.

If glass artist Michael Tetteh can earn some money doing it, he will be happy, too.

Tetteh learned the art of glass blowing during a visit to Europe in 2012. He went to see people who knew about glass blowing in the Netherlands and France and learned to make many-colored, artistic⁴ flower holders⁵ or water carriers.

Many years later, Tetteh has his own workplace where he melts broken glass from waste centers in Accra and turns it into art.

He looks for broken glass from old televisions or bottles and melts it down in a large round container known as a kiln⁶. The kiln gets very hot, nearly 1,500 degrees Celsius⁷, and turns the old glass into hot liquid.

Tetteh, now 44, is the nation's only professional glass blower.

He uses a long pole to remove a ball of melted glass from the kiln and starts working to shape the glass into colorful items people can use again.

If he can teach more people to make art pieces from glass, he can reduce his country's need to bring in glass from China. Ghana imports about $300 million worth of glass and pottery⁸ each year, says the Observatory⁹ for Economic Complexity¹⁰. About 80 percent comes from China.

He hopes to make Ghana's glass bead²-making tradition into a larger industry with people doing many different jobs.

"Glass is my passion, my heart," he said. "It takes you on a journey from one (place) to another."

In addition to helping¹¹ his country keep more money in Ghana, Tetteh thinks a larger, glass economy will also make his country cleaner. A glass waste collection program would help.

Tetteh works in the area called Odumase-Krobo and trains other glass blowers in his shop. He learned how to make his equipment by watching videos on a computer. He said he is trying to follow the designs of well-known American glass artist Dale Chihuly.

"My heart wants to train young Ghanaians, both men and women, so they can learn this job," he said. "We will not have to go to other countries like China to buy what we want for Ghana."

Over the years, he has gotten better at the work. Now Tetteh's pieces are sold in shops in Ghana and Ivory Coast. Some of his work is also sold in art stores in Europe and the U.S.

Words in This Story

bead – n. a small usually round, piece of glass, wood, stone or other material with a hole through the center that can be used to make jewelry

pole – n. a long piece of wood or metal that can be used to lengthen¹² reach or hold something such as a sign if it is placed in the ground

item – n. a single thing in a list, account, or series

pottery – n. the manufacture of clay objects

passion – n. a feeling of excitement about doing something

journey – n. an act of travel; trip

1 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

2 bead   

n.念珠；(pl.)珠子项链；水珠

参考例句：

• She accidentally swallowed a glass bead.她不小心吞下了一颗玻璃珠。
• She has a beautiful glass bead and a bracelet in the box.盒子里有一颗美丽的玻璃珠和手镯。

3 beads   

n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链

参考例句：

• a necklace of wooden beads 一条木珠项链
• Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead. 他的前额上挂着汗珠。

4 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

5 holders   

支持物( holder的名词复数 )； 持有者； （支票等）持有人； 支托（或握持）…之物

参考例句：

• Slaves were mercilessly ground down by slave holders. 奴隶受奴隶主的残酷压迫。
• It is recognition of compassion's part that leads the up-holders of capital punishment to accuse the abolitionists of sentimentality in being more sorry for the murderer than for his victim. 正是对怜悯的作用有了认识，才使得死刑的提倡者指控主张废除死刑的人感情用事，同情谋杀犯胜过同情受害者。

6 kiln   

n.（砖、石灰等）窑，炉；v.烧窑

参考例句：

• That morning we fired our first kiln of charcoal.那天上午，我们烧了我们的第一窑木炭。
• Bricks are baked in a kiln.砖是在窑里烧成的。

7 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

8 pottery   

n.陶器，陶器场

参考例句：

• My sister likes to learn art pottery in her spare time.我妹妹喜欢在空余时间学习陶艺。
• The pottery was left to bake in the hot sun.陶器放在外面让炎热的太阳烘晒焙干。

9 observatory   

n.天文台，气象台，瞭望台，观测台

参考例句：

• Guy's house was close to the observatory.盖伊的房子离天文台很近。
• Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.格林威治天文台的职员们每天对大钟检查两次。

10 complexity   

n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物

参考例句：

• Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
• The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。

11 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

12 lengthen   

vt.使伸长，延长

参考例句：

• He asked the tailor to lengthen his coat.他请裁缝把他的外衣放长些。
• The teacher told her to lengthen her paper out.老师让她把论文加长。