binary pottery
The Binary Pottery project was a further development from the initial
Contour Range, which explored the layered
aesthetic that is so characteristic for the rapid prototyping process
(see explanation).
Although the first project had been very successful and had resulted in
a series of beautiful cups and bowls, we had clearly only scratched the
surface of the concept. We were very keen to develop the aesthetics further,
the cool, ‘designed’ look of the contour bone china shapes expressed
the digital influence very well but that was only one part of the story.
There was little visual evidence of the large amount of the manual craft
skills, which were an equally large part of the development process.
It was therefore a core requirement of the Binary Pottery project results
to reflect both the high tech origin and the traditional craft skills,
which were essential to realize the final ceramic shapes. For this purpose
the Dartington Pottery's unique range of reactive glazes would provide
the aesthetics to represent the craft skills and influence which had gone
into the pieces. These dramatic glazes originated from legendary Ruskin
Pottery but had been re-developed by Dartington for a previous project
involving ‘Spitting Image’ creator Roger Law. For Binary project
the fluid and volatile ‘Theta’ glaze was to provide the base
for unpredictable and dramatic results, which contrasted the very ‘deliberate’
and calculated nature of the shapes.
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The shapes developed during Contour Project were created on a LOM rapid
prototyping machine by ‘The Advanced Technology Centre’, part
of ‘The Warwick Manufacturing Group’(WMG). Initially WMG was
one of the very few places in the UK capable of producing these types
of shapes, but as the binary pottery project progressed we realised that
the technology was becoming ever more accessible and we were able to get
the layers manufactured by a local metal working company, Luffman Engineering,
using their large scale metal cutting CNC laser. And while the outline
of the layers had to be derived through software emulation (they are inherent
to the LOM process), the method of using a CNC laser proved far more efficient.
The MDF models still had to be developed through a complex series of plaster
and rubber moulds before the final pieces were achieved. Later the use
of a vacuum former eased this process but the project still relied on
applying traditional mould making techniques to the very limit.
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The RP technology holds great potential with a plethora of possible
applications, even though it is rarely a “push button” solutio.
The potential for practitioners of traditional crafts to use the emerging
digital tools is huge and amazingly, still largely unexplored. The intention
with the Binary Pottery Project was to represent a synergy of digital
tools with traditional craft skills and aesthetics.
The project was started as part of research work at The University of
Plymouth. This work has now been formalized into a fully RP equipped research
unit called <make>. The
aim of <make> is to support and develop the integration of information
technology into the creative sectors.
The results of the binary pottery project were exhibited in the Cider
Press Centre Gallery, Dartington during August 2003.
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