Tag Archives: pottery

How to make Clay Pottery look like Cardboard

Posted on by

Inspired by the designs of Jacques Monneraud, YouTuber Mia Mueller decided to put her skills to the test, making pottery that mimics the delicate, craft-like feel of corrugated cardboard. While Monneraud’s pieces look fantastic (and probably feel just as incredible to hold), Mueller’s approach actually guides us through the process, helping regular-folk understand the nuances of building clay pieces that look like cardboard. Mueller’s YouTube channel, Pottery To The People, is absolute gold for terracotta/ceramic enthusiasts, and although a lot of her content is centric to traditional use of the potter’s wheel, this particular project took a less conventional approach, but yielded results that look genuinely fantastic! Watch the video above to see how she did it, or just scroll to read more.

Designer: Pottery To The People

Mueller’s attempt at cardboard pottery is a part of her ‘steal like an artist’ video series, where she mimics the styles of pottery artists online. Monneraud’s designs have taken the internet by storm over the last few weeks and it only made sense for Mueller to give it a shot too, to see how easy it was, and whether the resulting pieces were, in fact, functional as pottery goods.

Choosing the right clay was perhaps the most crucial starting step. Different clays take on different hues after firing, so ensuring you’re left with the right cardboard-like color at the end of the firing process is key to nailing that illusion. Mueller used an Indian clay, known for its perfect cardboard-like brown hue.

Once selecting and softening the clay, she took to the potter’s wheel, throwing and shaping the clay in a fairly geometric style. Paper doesn’t bend in complex curves, so Mueller ensured most of her designs had straight lines and sharp edges. Ridges were then ‘stamped’ with the corrugated design, and details like grips, handles, and spouts were given a ridged design using a set of specialized roller-pins with ridges on them.

A few keys to nailing the aesthetic were ensuring the clay dries out significantly before stamping details onto them. Paper isn’t seamless either, so each paper part had to have a distinct start and end, which meant not blending in the edge lines. Even when joining multiple parts together, it’s instinctive to blend them in, making sure the joint is strong. However, cardboard doesn’t ‘blend’ either, so edges where different parts joined had to be left unblended, allowing the edge-line to show. Sure, this results in a fairly weak end-product, but then again, this entire endeavor is an aesthetic-driven one, not a functionality-driven one. The resulting pots are great for looking at, maybe even using as bouquet holders, but aren’t meant for holding water or any liquid. Since they’re unglazed, they’re still incredibly porous and will absorb water too, which means it’s best left displayed on a shelf as a statement piece rather than being put to use.

The post How to make Clay Pottery look like Cardboard first appeared on Yanko Design.

‘Is it cardboard?”: Ceramic art blurs line between perception and reality

Posted on by

One of the most popular reality game shows on Netflix is “Is It Cake?” where the contestants have to recreate common objects and then trick the judges into guessing if it’s cake or not. It’s fun seeing all of these ordinary, every day things recreated as cakes and it’s also a good reminder that not everything is as it seems. This art experiment by Jacques Monneraud is of the same idea as the game show but this time it uses something even more ordinary and turns it into an extraordinary collection.

Designer: Jacques Monneraud

The Cardboard collection recreates some common household items like pitchers and vaes into ceramic art. What makes this different from others though is that the they were made from clay but made to look like cardboard. It is basically a statement of “mockery of overproduction and overconsumption” but it is also something that people can actually use if they need something unique on their dining tables and living rooms.

The designer wanted to maintain the texture and visual characteristics of cardboard while at the same time retaining the ceramic properties of the items. The basic idea of the design is to make it look simple enough, like three pieces of cardboard + two pieces of tape makes a pitcher. He had to blend three distinct stonewares for the main body while the tape-like item was crafted from glaze.

If I just saw a photo of these items without knowing the context, I really would have been fooled that they were made from cardboard. Monneraud wants viewers to actually think about how perception and reality can be inextricably linked and is more complex than just the surface. While cardboard is normally a disposable object, the designer believes his work can actually last for more than 3,000 years.

The post ‘Is it cardboard?”: Ceramic art blurs line between perception and reality first appeared on Yanko Design.

The Bat Trang Pottery Museum’s Architectural Ode to Tradition Is A Canyon In The City Of Vietnam

Posted on by

In the heart of Vietnam’s Bat Trang village, where the artistry of ceramic and pottery has thrived since the 11th century, a striking testament to this enduring legacy has emerged. The Bat Trang Pottery Museum stands not only as a repository of artisanal creations but also as a living embodiment of the village’s rich history and cultural identity.

Designer: 1+1>2 Architects

The design of the Bat Trang Pottery Museum is more than just a structure; it is a poetic translation of local tales and traditions. The architects embarked on a collaborative journey with pottery experts, local artisans, and villagers, ensuring that the museum’s essence resonates with the very soul of Bat Trang. The tiered, canyon-like architecture pays homage to the potters’ wheels, capturing the spirit of traditional kilns crafted from brick. This deliberate nod to the village’s heritage reflects a commitment to preserving and celebrating the art form that has been passed down through generations.

Walking through the Bat Trang Pottery Museum is not merely a visual experience; it is a journey through architectural drama. The seven inverted domes create a mesmerizing interplay of light and shadow, forming expansive open-air spaces on the ground level. These spaces become dynamic venues for events, exhibitions, and traditional festivals, fostering a sense of community engagement. Skylights strategically positioned atop the structure usher in daylight, infusing the interiors with ambient coolness and creating a harmonious connection with the surrounding environment, also marked as a sustainable element.

The choice of materials in the museum’s construction is a delicate dance between tradition and modernity. Fiber-reinforced concrete cladding, chosen as the primary construction element, speaks to the contemporary while remaining grounded in practicality. Its lightness allows for upward expansion and easy implementation by local builders. Intertwined with this modern material are earthen bricks, mosaic ceramic, and pottery tiles—each telling a story of the Bat Trang craft village. This thoughtful integration not only pays homage to the local craftsmanship but also ensures a seamless blend of the museum with its cultural context.

Beyond its role as a repository of ceramics and pottery, the Museum serves as a multifunctional haven for the community. The four-story tower accommodates commercial enterprises and homestays, ensuring economic support for the locals. The Bat Trang culinary space on the fourth floor celebrates the village’s gastronomic heritage, complemented by an adjacent auditorium for performing arts. At the summit, a rooftop garden crowns the museum—a collaborative workshop and playground, inviting visitors to engage in the artistic process.

In capturing the essence of Bat Trang’s local ceramic and porcelain crafts, the Bat Trang Pottery Museum stands as a beacon of cultural continuity. It is a testament to the delicate balance between architectural innovation and the preservation of tradition, offering visitors an immersive experience that transcends time and tells the story of a village deeply rooted in the art of pottery. Architectural photographer Trieu Chien’s lens captures the sculptural beauty, inviting the world to witness the harmonious marriage of past and present in this unique architectural masterpiece.

The post The Bat Trang Pottery Museum’s Architectural Ode to Tradition Is A Canyon In The City Of Vietnam first appeared on Yanko Design.