Layers of time

2019 

What to design for a world of plenty? Natural resources are being  exhausted, and we are surrounded by more and more objects.

When conducting research on second-hand shops in the Hague, I learnt that a majority  of discarded/ leftover objects are sent to the incinerator. I noticed that ceramic crockery, even when in good condition, is not sold because of their outdated look. This project is about redesigning their surfaces to make them less likely to be thrown away. With sandblasting, some parts of the surface are erased, transforming the previous pattern into a new one. Another technique consists in applying a new glaze onto the surface, making the previous pattern melt, as if it was carried away by the passage of time. Finally, I used transfer paper, adding a new layer on top of the previous one. The goal is to bring  new life to these objects, while keeping a trace of their past. 

To make this process easily replicable, I created a book which explains the different techniques to redesign the surfaces of old ceramics. The goal is to implement ‘re-designing workshops’ in second-hand shops directly.

These techniques allow to design while using what is already there, as well as  producing locally, instead of importing materials from other regions.