Interest: I am interested in Raku making process, for me, Raku is like a glamorous performance and I would like to see what I can get from the process in a spiritual way and also a performative way. Also, the unconstructive element of Raku is like a life lesson for everyone to embrace unperfect and let go.
Intrigue: I believe the mysterious dramatic and glamorous outcome, also not easy to access element will draw a lot of attention from the public.
Insight: When the public is involved in the process, I think we can trigger further curiosity in the ceramic process from the public, also use this chance to make the public rethink the ceramic item they come across from day to day
improve: Why Raku? what is the history of Raku? what was the actual meaning of raku? What can Raku offer in a contemporary way?
Society often thinks that Ceramic are only mugs and plates. but the actual potential is more than we think, Cutting the budget from the school department or treating clay making as a luxury hobby is not ideal.
We should all give clay making a chance, and rediscover ourselves via clay, since people many moons ago already used clay as a communication tool, imagine if we vanished from the earth one day, the evidence we left in this world is not even plastic or Instagram but fired Clay.
We should consider the importance of Clay/Ceramic/pottery.
Interest: I benefited from Clay making when I was a troubled teen and I understand the importance of clay making process.
Insight: I was inspired by this podcast and support what I think about redefin fuctional
Intrigue: Geranl public will rethink and be curious about what clay can do more than a daily functional items.
Improve: I hope that I can help the ceramic community to raise awareness of the importance of clay making, But how to get the public involved? Do I make any assumption of the general public? do I do enough enography research?
Dinner Ritual ,Family Political statement ,Current Hong Kong humanity situation and My plate design
When people talk about dinner rituals , there are many different ways. For example, converse while you are eating , put your cutlery in a certain way , or even dine while sitting on the floor. Different cultures have different rituals. However, the most important item for every dining ritual would be ceramic on the table.
In 18th century America , there was a porcelain tableware in their upper class society called Bonni and Morris Pickle Stand. This beautiful Porcelain sea shell pickle stand was produced by Philadelphia potters Gousse Bonnin and George Anthony Morris in the early 1770s.
During the 18th century , North America was still being colonized by a couple of European countries, one of them being Great Britain. During this time, the people in America were only able to use bone china ceramic supplied by the British.
At the time of the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), ceramics in America were used as a form of record of political change or social justice situations. Because porcelain was imported from Great Britain due to colonisation during this period, using local porcelain and tableware being made by local ceramic factories were action to show support towards American independence.
Messages were hand painted onto the Bonni and Morris Pickle Stand, voicing their political statement and advocating their cause towards American independence. Freedom of choice was also one of the messages this Ceramic item represented.
This pickle stand was made by plaster cast shell mould and some throwing technique. I attempted to make this mould myself. I am so impressed by how plaster mould changes the ceramic process. Instead of hand building every single shell, a plaster mould can reproduce so many of the same nice quality shell efficiently ,Plaser is such a game changer during the 18 century ceramic making process.
Also, While I looking at the item , I imagine I am a guest of a grand dinner in one of the house at 18 century America, I have no facebook or any search engine to research this house hold political point of view, , and I enjoyed the meal , while the desert serve with a political statement on, I will instantly know what to talk about or what not to talk about .I feel like is such a smart thing to do as a dinner host as well , to avoid stonge augment between guests in a very subtle way .
By doing this action might be safe in 18 century America, but In current time, it might be an issue if your own country has a different approach with democracy .
I went back to the studio once it open again and spent most of my time making , at the beginning I thought” If I do it earlier , I might get a better result on my plaster mould work, I might able to ahead of the game!” But this is not the case, I spent 7 weeks (even during easter term break) to make my Mug Handles,I still got a bunch of heart broken results.
When I was in the studio , Rich the technician and my Stage one buddy Neal in the plaster area witnessed all my failure, from forgetting soft soap, plaster broken while I try to shave it to the shape, under cut the shape so not able to release from the mould ,Bisque ware stuck in the mould and cut my thumb…..
Although those experience are so heart breaking and full of real tears, but I feel so glad that Rich are so supportive, He always ask how am I doing and explain with a details drawing if I am confused, and Neal was always help my actual work process.
I also feel so warm that before term break , we are able to mix with stage two student during some of the studio day, and they are so supportive and helped me on the solution I needed while they saw thing are wrong.
I used to work on the throwing wheel alone , independently and confidently.
but by working on plaster in the plaster area , I really feel that I pushing myself out from my comfort zone ,at the same time, I feel grateful and full of love from my course colleagues.
Finally , this Monday, with help from Neal and Rich , I finally have my first two part Mug handle Mould !
At the End I told Rich this is my sixth attempt and he said ” Wow, That is a record!” and we both burst in to laugh.
I think even though I have so much negative thought on plaster mould making , but I believe this is the essential process in order to find my own expertise as a Ceramic designer.
My very first kind of success mug handle plaster mould.
I am obsessed with egg form. While I throwing on the wheel or designing glaze decoration,I alway think of egg form , an oval shape ,sometime I will poke hole on the egg so see can I put flower with it, or a sculptural form with monsters feet stick out.
Bubble Glaze Dino Egg by KC
I never think too much while I designing them until BACD Unit 4 , We will need to start to look for Design Echo and also using 3i method to analyse our design process, all over sudden these egg form I made are related to my Childhood memories, Kinder Surprise Eggs.
An Egg Collecting a bit of Spring By KC
In 1974, Michele Ferrero, the founder of an Italian chocolate company decide to give children surprise everyday, He was inspired by Easter chocolate eggs and also a real egg at the same time , created an new chocolate eggs with chocolate shell and a Toy egg yolk.
I was not eating kinder surprise everyday when I was a kid but while I had a chance to crack one, the excitement are so real, and the creative of build the toy in side , also to dissect the toy and fit them back to the yolk is fun too.
A classic Kinder surprise egg, Wikipedia Monster Egg planter by KC
While I watching British popular tv series , one of the session was about the main charter steeling a Russian faberge egg, the eggs are instantly capture my eggs and I started my research .
Faberge eggs are a product line at House of Faberge , A jewelry company in late 19 century.
In1885, A Faberge eggs was once an easter gift from Alexander III, the empire of Russia to his wife, his wife Empress Maria Feodorovna.
Lilies of the Valley Fabergé egg photographed at an exhibition in Rome. Wikipedia
I am intrigued by the decorative skill and how designer recreate new product put of easter eggs.
I am still on the middle of thinking , I might come up with my some new ideas on this topic.
Mug Handle , an usual first contact to the mug user, if it design is right , the subtleness of comfort might even not realize by the user.
But what about the looking of the mug ? It can be a very important item in a stylish apartment , to show the taste and even the charters of the apartment owner.
I am testing the possibly of the mug handle , what if I creating handle a cubism cross over Bauhaus architecture style mug handle , what will a mug look like? what will a mug handle feel like? what if I restrict how the user place their finger while the hold the mug ,Like how Modernism furniture compromise comfort to creativity ?
My Handle design is a reflection of scaffold structure , while I making the plaster form handle , I keep putting my fingers through the minimal space between the scaffold like structure, like how contraction worker squeezing between the building site.
And I realize , although the handle can be functional maybe look edgy on the table, like The Isokon building looks extremely ahead of the time, however , the user experience , the ergonomic I think still need to be consider, otherwise, that mug would might only for display and not one want to make a cup if tea from that.
This is my test on my Scaffolding system inspired mug handle make with plaster.
My Mother Married when she was 19, She is the oldest of 6 children in a poor family, Hong Kong in the 70s , A daughters in a poor family with younger brother mean all your income need to go to your family and not way that you will have you own life, hence, my mother thought she will have freedom if she married my dad, however, that was not the case, after she got married , she left the job as a semmtcess, and started her life as a house wife and a major worker in my fathers family congees restaurant , she work from 3 am in the morning at the restaurant , and rush home at 12noon and wash at least 7 jeans by hand, she need to cook for whole family included my grandparents , my grand uncles and my father.
She was so thin even she was heavily pageant with my Older sister, and because her labour of work, my older brother born after my older sister was under weight and have heart issue. and I forgot to mention , we are lived at 6 th floor without a lift.
Until one day , our family bought a washing machine, the one and only washing machine on the street we lived, My mum was so proud, at the same time , she feel such a relived that there is a machine free her hand from washing 7 pairs of jeans a day.
My Mun is in her 60s now, she still obsess with home gadget like the most updated model of rice cooker or a special functional cooking pot.
This part of my family history make me realize , the rice cooker with delay start timer and keep warm function ,an instant pot can pretty much cook any meat with out burnt ,a washing machine can wash 7 Kg of cloths without complain, all these gadget in my home now is not only a piece of gadget, but also a symbol of freeing thousand wives and mothers from house work.
For me. a rice cooker is a symbol mother, and multi tasking nature is exactly like a modern mother.
This is the Rice cooker I have at home, also remind me of a warm loving multi tasking mother.
Soft Soap , A liquid form of medium prevent plaster stick together during plaster mould making process , forgot about this step will ruin your work entirely and impossible to revert.
I make this mistake and it kill my whole week of work .
I am a person like to follow my own flow while I work with Clay. Making a Plaster mould is a challenge , all the measure an adjust in ever millimeter frustrate me ,when I watching mould making demonstration , I had a voice in my head screaming :” I want to go in the Throwing wheel! I want to Hand build with clay!”
However, things Change while I meet my Easter term Break apprenticeship studio Owner,Nam Tran.
I am doing some Gas firing Glaze research for Nam ,In return, he agree to give me one to one drop off plaster mould tutorial .I show him my drawing and a plastic profile i made early in CSM studio , he trying to explain and show me how it works,
I am a thrower and I am too used to see clay from the top , but come to lathe turning, material turn to their side, I can not feel the mug body with my both hands, not able to dominate the plaster by both hand, in my head a voice keep rejecting the whole process ,I took much longer time than he need to make a simple Mug Mould , the struggle was real.
Nam get a little frustrated after a while, He was joking and said : “do you know I charge a lot per hour for a mug Mould ? I will send you the invoice.”,
At that moment , I realize mould making is skill that a Ceramic student might able to relay on when we complete our education ,also , even the mould making process is time taking and can be frustrating some time , but this is a way we can reproduce a precise perfect item , this is a way to experience a mass produce procedure started to in use from early 20 century.
As a trained ceramic designer in future, I think Plaster Mould making is a major skills I need to develop, in order to present my ideas to mass produce ceramic company in an efficient way.
After 2 day effort, This is a 1 part drop off mould I make from a Lathe
Michelle Erickson , a Ceramicist base in the US master in recreated historical ceramic pieces. One of Erickson’e recreation is 18 Century Bonnin and Morris Pickle stand ,this is also one of my essential project while Central’s Ceramic studio reopen .
This porcelain stand is originally create by Philadelphia potters Gousse Bonnin and George Anthony Morris in 1770s ,why I interested in this not just because of the beauty of the item ,but the message on the stand preserved American Revolution political status in 18 Century. In 18 Century America , Porcelain pickle stand is a political statement on dinning table, Imagine back than , owing a porcelain in a house is already showing wealth, writing political statement on the them is even showing off power and or not fear of power.
I would like to experience the process of recreating a historical item , in order to immersive my self to Ceramic industry in early industrial revolution period , also learn history from the piece as well.
Here is my process so far:
I followed the Guide from Michelle Erickson , Thrown. a bowl and pressed a Shell in it to create a Plaster mould.
This is my first testing slip pour in the mould, but I was confused about Decoration slip and proper slip cast slip.
Hence, the turn out breaking apart,But I have learn the lesson and my next step is using slip cast slip.
In the middle of the process , I have a thought , “Plaster was such a game changer in Ceramic production history !”
In 1700s, Gousse Bonnin and George Anthony Morris in the America and Wedgwood Josiah in Britain, they both started to reproduce delicate luxury Ceramic ware with Plaster mould ,I start to wonder ,before Plaster introduce to Ceramic ware making , these kind of luxury functional item are not common in middle class house hold ,after plaster mould was introduce ,collecting Luxury Ceramic ware entire bar are lower , at the same time ,I think trend in ceramic items are staring to develop .
I found Plaster mould making pretty tricky and really pushing myself out of my comfort zone .However, I believe once I break through the boundaries, my ceramic practice will rise to another level.
