Material Research 2

Rethinking Glaze: Exploring Waste and Plastic Surfaces

 

A research project focused on sustainable alternatives to traditional ceramic glazing methods.

Glazes, though beautiful and rich in history, often rely on resource-intensive processes, the mining of raw materials, and high environmental costs. While some natural and more sustainable glaze materials exist, they often produce earthy, muted tones. Truly vibrant and colourful results still tend to rely on mined or potentially harmful ingredients.

 

I am searching for an alternative approach that avoids harmful materials while still offering rich, expressive surfaces that combine beauty, function, and surface transformation in ceramics.

 

This project asks:

• Can we rethink the way we colour ceramic surfaces?
• Can we move away from materials that harm the planet and ourselves?
• Can we colour ceramics without traditional glazes and still achieve beauty, texture, and meaning?
• If so, can we do it in ways that reduce waste and use materials we already have?

 

Exploring Recycled Plastic Fusion:

One direction of this research explores applying recycled HDPE and PP plastics onto bisque-fired ceramics using heat-based methods such as pressing or ironing.

 

These plastics are common, stable materials that melt at relatively low temperatures (130–160°C). Through heat, they can physically bond with ceramic surfaces, creating a new type of surface transformation.

 

The plastic materials I want to explore include:

• Shredded plastic packaging
• Old plastic beads (strijkkralen)
• Soft plastic bags and nets

 

Im testing:

In plastic:
• Different temperatures and resulting surface textures
• Various types and colours of plastic and how they behave under different heat levels
• Different application methods, such as ironing and pressing
• Surface bonding and durability, how well the plastic adheres and holds onto ceramics
• Combining plastic shreds with natural materials such as sawdust, sand, and crushed shells to create hybrid material surfaces

 

In ceramics:
• Different clay bodies, with a focus on local and recycled clay
• Pre-scoring ceramic surfaces to improve bonding and create additional texture
• Exploring whether materials other than glaze can effectively adhere to and coat ceramic surfaces

This technique creates a new type of surface rather than a traditional permanent glaze. While ceramics and plastics can last for decades, their bond is different from glaze and may change over time through heat, sunlight, or use.

 

This opens space for deeper questions:

• What does it mean when a surface is not permanent?
• How do hybrid materials age?
• Can surface change and transformation become part of the message?

 

Rather than seeing these changes as flaws, I see them as part of the material story, reflecting how we treat waste, the fragility of materials, and the evolving nature of sustainability.

 

This process brings together ancient and modern materials: clay and plastic. Heat transforms plastic waste into a surface layer with unexpected colour, shine, and texture. Although it may not be permanent in the traditional sense, it invites new ways of thinking about material life cycles, value, and transformation.