Showing the link between ceramics and concrete

- April 20, 2021

For me, although different materials and processes involved, ceramics and concrete work have common ground.

I started off making intuitive clay models which I gave an additional dimension by casting them in concrete.

To find my way into my practice MA, I again started off with clay models, clay test tiles, slip decoration and oxides. This helped me to define the direction I would be going and formed the basis of what (and how) I would adapt in concrete.

The processes I learned in ceramics work such as hand building, slip casting, slip decoration, burnishing, polishing, dealing with cracks or using oxides are very well adaptable to my concrete work and helped me to create my forms.

On the other hand, I use my experiences with concrete to achieve textures and surfaces in clay as well and gained a better understanding of processes for both materials.

When a glaze reaction happens in the kiln on a ceramic piece, the same is true for a work in concrete where different ingredients react differently and as unpredictably as the effects that clay firing might have. Of course, with both materials, the unpredictability decreases somewhat with a growing experience. In either case though, I very much welcome happy accidents as I find these bring along the most intriguing results.

However, here lie also the differences: a clay object becomes permanent through the firing process. The concrete piece becomes permanent through a chemical reaction called hydration or curing.

The properties of both materials and how the work processes of each can fuel the other it's almost like work song - Call and response.

The clay form can stand for itself but delivers the next step for a concrete piece. In return, the concrete piece can form the base for (a) relief in clay.

Here are some new tests I ran today using clay and different coloured slips, trying to create a particular surface and look that could become useful for future concrete and ceramics pieces: