Fiberporcelain

Culture & Context

My background in ceramics together with the textile tradition through my mother and grandmothers gave me a backdrop for my experiments with plant fibres and porcelain. On an extended trip to Japan, where I studied paper making by hand, I met a  number of skilled paper makers. They gave me new ideas for further experiments with fibres and clay.

Process & Production

The fibres of every plant are of different lengths and thicknesses and produce a different expressive effect with thetexture. The fibres are collected, soaked, dried and stored. When they are to be used, they are soaked, boiled and broken.The prepared fibres are then mixed in to the porcelain, then a thin layer of fibre porcelain is drained on a screen. The sheet of fibre porcelain is laid on a plaster bat until it is half dry and can then be shaped like soft paper. Highly absorbent natural fibres are dipped in the porcelain. The jug and plates is built up with layers from fibre porcelain, threads and elements from already fired porcelain elements. The inside of the form is coated with bat wash, for example, so that it can be removed after firing. The Vessel or surface are then fired to vitrification point, when in this case I have terminated the firing because the piece begins to distort then.

Working with plant fibres turns traditional working methods with clay upside down. The first firing is always at the highest temperature, any second firings are at a lower temperature. My fondness for plant fibres is connected with the technical potential, expressiveness and also not least with a view to sustainability. Plant fibres are a CO2 neutral resource.