When the world was created, 伏羲 Fúxī taught humans to net and fish, to spear and hunt, they also taught humans to wield fire. Fire transformed our hunt and prey, from raw flesh to deliciousness. Fire was a tool only humans had and it was of great power. It set us apart from the rest of the creatures in the world. It fed us, it kept us warm, and without it we live in the dark. 

 

新火 (New Flame) expresses the practice of using seasonal timber as wood fuel. At the start of each season, the first fire made with the new wood is called the new flame. 

 

New Flame is a project that began in the winter of 2018. It was inspired by the Chinese creation myth and my disappointment in modern dining habits. Which lead to a lot of writing, thinking and dreaming. The result of it all is a series of experiments in ceramics.

 

All the pieces are slumped or casted from moulds then clear glazed. Motifs of dragon and flames are appropriated and collaged form 青花瓷 (blue and white porcelain) then individually screen printed on to the pieces. The chosen forms of the peices are what stood out most to me as a child sitting at the family dining table- big bowls and plates, endless bottles and cups some full, some empty some somewhere in between… this dictated a supper that lasted into the wee hours, fuelled by sips of coffee and liquor. 

 

So in the winter of 2018, dry, cold and dark, I decided to light a New Flame. A flame that will fire my clay goods and turn them into ceramics. A flame that will keep my stove warm and my belly warmer. A flame in hopes to bring people together with food that I will cook with that same flame.  

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Creative direction and set design in collaboration with Guarionex Rodriguez Jr., all images photographed by him. 

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This is a part of Old Tradition; New Rituals, a growing collection of research and projects. Process, research and new projects as part of the collection coming soon.

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In the mean time, shop for some ceramics here :-)