Shao Qi Tan

In Flux: Between Clay and Glaze, BA Ceramic Design, Runner Up, 2022

My studio practice is a material-driven investigation into the fragile yet enduring nature of porcelain. The whiteness, luminosity and translucency of this material reflects notions of fragility and impermanence in an ever-changing landscape. My designs highlight the delicate tension between strength and fragility, referencing the structural resilience found in both manmade and natural worlds. To make visible the unseen changes of nature in urban environments, I use new materials and techniques which emulate naturally occurring processes that are often immaterial and overlooked.

In Flux: Between Clay and Glaze is material research that blurs the lines between the glaze and clay body. The design objective is to preserve a state of flux – the momentary movement of changing states. By adding flux, alumina and heat, I developed a series of viscous sculptural glazes and self-glazing porcelain bodies. It ranges to form a glass-like material, pools of glaze, pearl droplets and a crackle effect.

To identify innovative and sustainable alternatives, my work embraces the inherent properties of porcelain and raw materials. My experimentation with minimal materials pushes the limits of porcelain and reveals new possibilities for the hybrid medium that lie on the boundary between clay and glaze. I’ve redesigned the press-moulding technique to reduce the amount of clay, producing thin low reliefs of leaves with delicate openwork structures.

The final design collection is a series of sculptural porcelain installations that play with light and space. I designed each installation to highlight the hybrid medium, which develops into a cohesive hanging floor and wall installation. My work emulates the effect of sunlight filtering through leaves, fallen petals on water and dew water droplets. I invite viewers to immerse themselves in a quiet experience by observing the fleeting moments found in the mundane.

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