Chance Ceramics, 2015
The process of mass manufacturing, while making production efficient, often makes objects feel sterile and cold. Natural materials, like clay, are manipulated to make pristine,uniform objects that bare no similarity to their original source: the ground.
A process of slip casting was designed to counteract this. By creating a mould which was conical, and meant to roll, the settling of the slip was controlled by the ground below it. Therefore, the slip casting process allowed for inconsistencies, and it gave a sense of “agency” back to the environment, which commonly is at the mercy of human hands, or the machine.
Sketches considering how balance and environment could affect the color, shape and form of a series of cups.
A slip casting mold was made, which would roll, and therefore distribute slip depending on the surrounding surface and environment.
Markings were added to the mold which represented color slip (ex. red=1, blue=2...) when the mold settled, the next color would be chosen, and the mold would be set down again.
As more slip was added, the mold would sometimes overflow. The overflowing slip onto the surrounding surface affected how the mold would roll, creating an even more dynamic and causal relationship between slip and mold.
