This exhibition features work produced for the fall 2021 course Digital Ceramics, which examined new possibilities for masonry and ceramics in architecture through computational design and digital fabrication. Algorithmic design techniques, digital fabrication, and ceramic research were merged to design and produce non-standard ceramic components in aggregated assemblies.
Students utilized a Potterbot ceramic printer to explore 3D printing with clay during the seminar. Additional coursework consisted of: drying and firing clay components, post-printing physical manipulation, staining and glazing techniques, and clay body research.
Digital Ceramics confronts the seemingly disparate modes of physical making and digital form-giving by introducing a new material system that expands the aesthetic and performative potential of aggregated enclosure assemblies. In recent digital discourse, we have seen the ability for endless variation and customization through parametric design software. This course intends to underscore a thoughtful consideration of the relationship between technology and adaptability. As an alternative to conventional and self-similar modular system, students utilized variability in form to physically interlock parts into a visually cohesive system. Through material behavior and calibrated irregularities, they have the capacity to make each component unique.
