Environmental Ceramics: Unproductive Production
2015
Plaster, porcelain slip, environment
A process of slip casting was designed to be counterintuitive to mass production. The conical and cylindrical molds involuntary roll once placed on a surface, rotating the slip around the interior. I liked the idea of a system of manufacture which could be game-like and performative. The mold could be pushed between two people, like a form of catch, or could be done with a larger community. It could be pushed down a hill, letting the terrain decide it's form, or could be set on a train, where a machine dictates it's form. The details of the casted form not only vary depending on the environment, but are literally dependent on, and reflective of the environment. I thought of this as a way to give agency back to material. Allowing the clay, which is of course sourced from the ground, to be manipulated by the ground itself.
A series of porcelain cups were created from this process. They serve eating and drinking purposes. Ideally this way of manufacture would be done by a group or collective, and the functions of these cups would vary over time depending on the needs of the present moment.
This process became more complex by labeling the mold with numbers which corresponded to colors (1=red, 2=blue..etc..) In this way, the mold became similar to a board game spinner. It could be pushed and then it would eventually land on a color. This color of slip would be poured into the mold in a pre-determined amount, and then the mold would be pushed again. Therefore, now the environment was not only creating the shape of the vessel but also the color.
