Construction I & II were originally made by Benefield in response to the work of Rachel Wickremer, a UK artist who uses transparent materials and paint to make non-objective works of subtle visual complexity. Benefield was drawn to her use of repetitive lines and its association with weaving and textiles, seeing a correlation between that work and his own interest in pattern, generated through the use of Venetian cane techniques.

These pieces are about serial production, which has been the stock in trade for glassblowers for two thousand years. The aim was to create an overall composition that employed pattern and rhythm yet using hand blown units. There is a degree of uniformity within the groupings, but each individual component is actually unique in a variety of ways.

Those unique qualities comprise the essential nature of handblown glass and distinguish it from industrial production, where much greater conformity to standards is achieved at a great cost to particularity. Being able to appreciate the piece as an overall work of pattern and repetition, and at the same time isolate individual elements as evidence of a unique experience of making, lets the viewer experience both of these perspectives at once.