Triennale di Milano

23rd International Exhibition Unknown Unknowns. An Introduction to Mysteries
Bee Awards, 2022
Triennale di Milano

For the 23rd International Exhibition Unknown Unknowns. An Introduction to Mysteries I was asked to realise the three awards in ceramics after a study of materials available in the Triennale gardens.
The exhibition explored the possibility of opening up viewpoints in which the unknown becomes an opportunity for wonder. I tried to apply a different gaze to what lies beneath our feet.

I collected soil, glass shards and a branch from a big, century-old cedar tree felled by a windstorm in early 2022, which I turned to ash. To shape the body of the vase, I blended the thickest part of the sandy garden soil with white stoneware. I obtained the glazes by combining ash from burning the branch with the finest portion of earth and pulverised glass fragments.

For the final glaze, I made a sampler by mixing these three ingredients together in various proportions, using a method known in ceramics as a triaxial study. Changes to the mixture’s melting point lead to changes in the colour, gloss, and crystallisation of the glaze, increasing or decreasing with the slightest alteration in one ingredient, whether it be the ash, earth, or glass. This phenomenon is due to the fact that amalgamated with each other, the elements behave as an eutectic, that is, a mixture of substances that melt at a lower temperature than the individual components. It’s something we find, for example, in metal alloys, volcanic lava, or clay and glazes.
The hand-turned shape was inspired by the overall theme of the 23rd International Exhibition, designed to enhance all of the materials’ characteristics. The wide, flat surface allows the glaze to reveal all its nuances, while the round, closed body, which only allows a glimpse of the inside of the vase, enhances the qualities of the stoneware mixed with earth.

Each version of the award is unique. Each one has its own combination of collected materials. Each of them tells the story of the Triennale Gardens in an unexpected way, revealing something previously invisible yet inherent to that place.

Read more in the Triennale Magazine: Vocabolario terra. La ricerca di Nina Salsotto Cassina, 10 dicembre 2022, by Marilia Pederbelli