A Glass Lens on Kopiko Aotearoa: An Epic Bikepacking Adventure

5th - 26th August 2023
Di Tocker Glass Gallery & Studio, Cambridge

Last summer I completed my first solo bikepacking trip. I followed the Kopiko Aotearoa route across the North Island and covered 1070km from East Cape Lighthouse to Egmont Lighthouse in Taranaki.

With plenty of thinking time while riding, 92 hours in the saddle, I dreamed up the idea of sharing this journey with you all in glass.

Returning to the studio, my ideas transpired into studio play with various materials including clay, acrylic, silicone rubber, and wax. This play consolidated into doing, a final plan was formatted, and the hard mahi began.

A Glass Lens is a visionary experience comprising of 13 glass 'lenses'. Each containing emotive imagery of the landscapes I passed through, immersive colours, and detailed observations of my bikepacking adventure. The optically shaped lenses perfectly amplify colour and detail, bringing the imagery to life in a way I couldn't have imagined.

Photography by Grace Carson