Firetrunks

The fire trunk are concerned with making the effects of fire visible (through a reduced fired copper glaze, which turns red or green depending on the flow of air through the kiln or through carbon storage in the Terra Sigillata. The fire created the surface of the stove and later burns inside the stove to warms us.

Firetrunk 1

The flow of air through the kiln is visible in the ceramic tiles. One can make out how the flames moved, where they faltered, where they thickened and how they pulled circles in the glowing heat. The hues of red indicate a lack of oxygen in the process of firing while the same glaze developed a watery green colour where oxygen rich air was pulled in through openings in the furnace.

The recipe states that four components are needed for the glaze: burnt copper, wood ash, clay powder and rock flour…. in the right mixing ratio of course. These are also the raw materials from which the entire oven is made of: it is constructed from clay tiles, stands on copper legs and inside it is full of ash. The wooden fire melts these grey, rough materials down to a colourful glaze that is as smooth as glass.

And as you sit together around the fire; as you watch the flames and warm yourselves maybe some thoughts, words or even hearts will melt together and turn into something more colourful.

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making the tiles

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Firetrunk 2

The exterior of fire-trunk 2 has been designed to reflect the effect of fire on tiles. The terra sigillata surface bears traces of the flames that moved across it, scorching the tiles and transforming their original white colour into shades of grey and black.