Statement about the Research Content and Process

Description

This body of research investigates methods of robotic extrusion with wet clay, and explores the use of clay, along with its geological and cultural context. Whereas robotic manufacturing has been used extensively in the production of small-scale objects, Life of Clay is the first project to advance and apply clay robotics in the fabrication of architectural elements for buildings.

Questions

1. What are the benefits of using a digitally controlled technology in the production of architectural ceramics?

2. Given clay’s site specificity, what are the implications of its use in local industry and craft, particularly in terms of shaping local design identities?

3. How can traditional methods for making ceramic items, including the use of moulds, inform clay robotics in the production of unlimited and unique elements?

4. What is the correct ‘clay body’? How can it be controlled? What is a suitable design language to print robotically with it?

Methodology

1. Interdisciplinary engagement with architects, manufacturers, historians, craftspeople, ceramicists and artists;

2. Research trips to visit specialist local workshops, archives and clay experts in ceramic production areas in the UK,

Europe, Japan and China;

3. Working with the material directly through trial and error and empirical experimentation;

4. Combining digital programming for clay extrusion with manual practices for assembling and glazing.

Dissemination

The research culminated in the making of a permanent floor area at the V&A, visited by 4.2 million people annually. It has been the subject of two solo exhibitions (RIBA, London, and The Architecture Centre, Bristol), three group exhibitions in the UK, a one-year touring exhibition in Europe, several online articles, three exclusive review articles, one refereed journal article and seven lectures/ conference participations.

Project Highlights

Life of Clay won the RIBA Research Trust Award 2014 and realised a permanent architectural intervention at the V&A. Life of Clay: Experimental Practice at Grymsdyke Farm at The Architecture Centre in Bristol was named by The Guardian as one of the best exhibitions in the UK in 2017.