After the first explorations I decided to mostly work with the beautiful, white Jade porcelain. I was hoping for more control in creating bowls, spoons and plates. The teacher realized my fragile and soil-able work needed some extra care in handling and firing, which was very helpful.
Spoons
The spoons from the previous session all broke so I started with creating a new set. I experimented with sizes. I tried out Lotus porcelain on two pieces. It has a dark colour but is white after firing. Because the air in the studio was very hot and dry the spoons dried too fast and bend. The advice was to cover pieces with plastic to promote slow drying.
Plates
I wanted to prevent the plates from deforming and found that drying between two plasterboard was a proven way to keep the thin slabs flat.I wanted to try different shapes of plates which could provide other ways of interaction during handling. I used a wooden ring mould to press one of the slabs. I also experimented with fabrics of different weaving to create a variety of structures when using the press.
Bowls
I continued with hand building and pressing into a mould. I also used a slab with texture which I pressed into a mould. The aim was to explore different tactile experiences when handling and thus also creating different sounds. I tried to make the bowls bigger but they shrink a lot.
Playful objects
I created four non-functional objects: two discs en two balls and experimented with texture and glazing. My favourite is the ball with the ceramic bead inside. It functions as an instrument. With the help of the teacher I created a mould of half a ball. Then I put the halves together. They didn’t break. They did need a lot of sanding down. They aren’t perfectly round which serves their playful purpose very well. The discs are very abstract and can be used as one pleases. The sides have a different texture.
Technology
In designing I kept the technology in mind. Some pieces are tech free, to others I will attach a contact microphone and some are made conductive and will act as a switch or touch sensor. I also bought a silver Kintsugi set. Kintsugi is a traditional Japanese way of repairing pottery. One plate is prepared in two parts to be made conductive after firing and glazing. I will also apply this technique to one of the earlier pieces. More about this in the next blog.
Main insights
- It is very challenging to glaze on both sides of the thin plates. (Fig. 2) Even though they dried flat they deform during firing because of the support props.
- The shrink percentage is very high. I’ve measured values between 13 and 23 % which makes designing difficult.
- Lustre runs even after taping (Fig. 2). Don’t use it in closed spaces, it gives you a headache.