Grounded Kitchenware
Old ceramic inventions for a clean future
Driven by a desire for direct possibilities and solutions, Lab AIR collected low-tech inventions which can facilitate a more sustainable living. To shape the future where we live in a healthy relation with air and soil we can learn from knowledge of the past. To inspire and to pass on this knowledge a series of ceramic vessels is crafted, showing existing, some even age-old inventions for conserving food and purifying water. These low-tech tools can help reducing waste of food and single-use plastic bottles, without using any electricity. Just fired clay – and a little water.
The use of local clay, which was waste from a nearby construction site in Rotterdam adds another layer to the story. It shows the quality of material that is considered waste, of clay in particular. The most basic matter can offer us so many qualities, if we know how. Under the pavement – the potential!
The main explored parameter in the vessels is the porosity, the little voids or pores through which water or air can migrate, enabling evaporation or filtration. The higher the clay is fired, the more compact it gets.
After the exhibition with (w)aardewerk by Crafts Council Nederland at Dutch Design Week 2024 the collection of Grounded Kitchenware can travel to next events to be used, and serve as tools for conversation.
The grounded Kitchenware has been made possible with support of Crafts Council Nederland and Iona Stichting.
(w)aardewerk exhibition by Crafts Council Nederland, design by Elvis Wesley Studio, pictures by Fan Liao.
Waterfilter
The technique of this waterfilter has been developed for people without access to clean drinking water. The Good Foundations International, formerly Potters for Peace, shares the information and tests, including the instructions for setting up a factory for waterfilters made with local clay. A simple tool for a self-sufficient and healthy life, which can be used for about 2 years.
The ceramic water filter is made porous by adding used coffee grounds to the clay before firing it. The coffee burns in the kiln, creating tiny holes in the clay. With wood or coconut shells instead of coffee, a layer of activated carbon can be created, which enhances filtering and adsorption properties even further. A final layer of colloidal silver minimizes bacterial growth.
Affiliated to the Good Foundations is Ecofiltro who makes the filters. In Europe they concentrate on tap water filtration and reducing the use of single-use plastic bottles.
Fridge
A traditional ‘desert fridge’, or ‘zeer’ in Arabic, is an earthenware pot-in-pot with sand and water in between. Evaporation of the water cools the interior by up to 10°C, extending the shelf life of fruit and vegetables by up to 14 days.
This invention was already used 5000 years ago in the region of Pakistan. Today it is still in use especially in warm countries - or seasons.
The water evaporates through the porous walls of the pots, optimally operating when the air outside the ‘refrigerator’ is 25ºC or more‚ dry and circulating. The inside of the inner pot is glazed to prevent any leakage of contamination in the low-fired urban clay into the (acid) fruits.
Fermenting pot
In a traditional ‘sauerkraut’ pot, vegetables and fruits can ferment and be preserved for months or years, creating healthy microbes. The waterlock enables the carbon dioxide to escape from the brew in overpressure, blocking unwanted bacteria from the outside. Weights to keep the vegetables below the brine are made with recycled porcelain, cut-offs from the Smogware project.
This pot is made waterproof by firing it to vitrification and by glazing. The highest possible temperature before melting for this ‘wild’ clay appeared to be 1125 °C which is still considered low, so the water-tightness in the long term has to be proven in practice. Since the brew is acid and probably in prolonged contact, leakage of urban contamination in the clay through the glaze needs attention and has to be tested.