Residency at the European Ceramic Workcentre
During the three-month residency at the European Ceramic Workcentre (EKWC), I worked mainly with deep-sea sediment. I got that material from scientists at NIOZ. They are investigating the long-term effects of deep-sea mining and testing whether they can recolonisation/restore the seabed after extraction with ceramic knolls mimicking real nodules. I embarked on this and launched a study to use seabed sediment for a speculative prototype of refuges for marine life driven out by deep-sea mining.
I tested the baking and shrinkage behaviour of the sediment, sought how to enrich it, make it less brittle and more plastic so that I could use it as ceramic clay for the speculative prototype. I also worked on prototyping structures that might attract sponges, octopuses, anemones and other deep-sea animals: the shape, size, texture,...
The residency also brought new inspiration. I made large replicas of nodules via and created a glaze based on the sediment to cover these nodules. These specimens will become part of the installation of A Seat for the Sea.
And the materiality of the cloths I used to wash the salt out of the sediment inspired me to experiment with cast porcelain.
