EARTH NOTES
Earth Notes is an ongoing research project exploring sustainable alternatives to conventional ceramic materials. Developed through studio experiments, fieldwork, and material testing, the project seeks to challenge the environmental impact of traditional ceramics by working with waste products, byproducts from the industry, and natural materials gathered from local landscapes. It reflects a commitment to developing a conscious, circular approach to making—one that aligns with environmental responsibility, material sensitivity, and place-based knowledge.
The project grew from a desire to understand the true provenance of ceramic materials and how they can be reclaimed or replaced without compromising artistic expression. Throughout this body of work, materials such as quarry waste, crushed bricks, wood ash, and ceramic industry byproducts have been tested as potential inclusions, grogs, or glaze alternatives. These are paired with foraged wild clays, gathered from across the UK coastline and countryside, each carrying its own set of characteristics shaped by deep time and place.
Drawing on building traditions such as Cob, which uses earth, straw, and water to create sustainable and breathable structures, the project embraces tactile, embodied processes. Cob’s emphasis on local sourcing and low-impact building became a conceptual reference point—offering not only a sustainable technique but a philosophy of collaboration between body, material, and land.
A research project exploring sustainable ceramic processes using natural materials and industry waste
These ideas extend into the ceramic works, which prioritise hand-building, burnishing, and open firing techniques that reduce the need for industrial kilns.
The Japanese practice of Dorodango—carefully forming earth into smooth spheres using only water and hands—also influenced the making. It introduced a methodical, meditative process to the research, where form emerges through repetition, attention, and care. These gestures form a bridge between the material and emotional qualities of working with clay and speak to the accessibility and universality of earth as a medium.
Earth Notes represents not only a collection of physical tests but also a growing material library and a shift in practice. Each test tile, sphere, or fired object is part of a broader inquiry into how we can honour natural resources while continuing to innovate within the field of ceramics. The project invites questions about what a sustainable studio practice can look like, and how we can build new systems of making that are both ethical and generous to the land that gives us its matter.
This work continues to evolve, connecting contemporary ceramic practice with ancient material knowledge, community-based learning, and environmental urgency.
