On-Glaze (glaze-on-glaze-on-glaze)

Layers and layers of clay materials,

some traditional,

some not :)

An ongoing project inspired by the dissertation I wrote during my graduate year at The Royal College of Art.

“The Role of the Ceramicist in Space Travel”. The text explored points in the history of ceramics and how they inspired the ceramic materials used within the space industry. It also talks about the unexpectedly multidisciplinary team it took to advance ceramics materials for such a purpose, including a pair of potters and a farmer who loved jelly. 

From a materials science standpoint, the dissertation covers ceramic materials for the space industry's Thermal Protection Systems.

I wanted to create surfaces that mimic the heat signature data maps used when testing different ceramic materials at the ESA research centre in the 1960s.

To create these complex surfaces, I have layered ceramic materials that don’t traditionally go or work together. This process choice pays homage to the multidisciplinary team who worked at Nasa and ESA.