As most hard coral naturally have a textured surface that helps in their growth, feeding and repopulation then it only makes sense that if a coral scaffold design should have something similar if it is going to be successful in helping nursing coral to root into the structure that will then become the foundations of a healthy and thriving reef. As coral natural creates the formation that make up the texture surface that costs them it is hard to replicate the exact same properties.
however as the final aim of this project is to creat a 3D Coral ceramic scaffold that can be implemented into a reef construct Then creating a texture with in the clay is something possible. As many of you users and participants my not have previous experience with this material and how certain textures can be made I’ve created this blog entry to act as a contextual journal for you to refer to for guidance and visual reference, So that you can apply these methods towards your own designs and modals.
unfortunately at the moment I am unable to creat most of theses textured clay forms my self due to the current situation of the world and the pandemic I’ve provided the next best thing, a list of ceramic artist and designers who take inspiration for coral forms to replicate within their work.
Lisa Biris a Dutch creamiest who began her career hand building ornamental objects e.g. bowls, vases & tea light holders she begins her process by first press moulding a basic form out of paper clay or porcelain this helps her to creat a base form that she can then builds on or in, with a mixture of pigments, glazes and oxides rolled into her clay she creates the much smaller components that she then layers over and over again to slowly build up the texture of her form, her tiny clay forms are often made by rolling short lengths rods that stack up together to form the texture on the image on the right, but for her more pitted style she creates hundreds of small clay balls that she them impresses in the centre to creat a mini crater.
Biris notes her works inspiration comes from nature and all the forms, shapes and textures it has to offer but mainly from sources like coral, fungi, feathers, plats and seed pods as seen in the images, so your texture inspiration doesn’t have to directly come from coral as many forms in nature share this quality.
Amy Kennedy is a Australian ceramics inspired by ocean as well but more so on it’s delicate structures this is displayed in her work through her manipulation of materials and her need to capture its qualities in her work. With her method of wave like layers she builds up a series of very thin ceramic sheets, With hand rolled paper clay and a mixture of under glaze she starts at one end of her form and slowly begins to build up the form by joint up each layer at the base, so that the top end Is still free enough for her to manipulate and curve to creat spacing for the next .I found out from her that she beings to build her forms in or on a mould to make the basic frame that she then waits to harden before adding the rest of the layers. Although this technique my not be that applicable to your design this method can be replicated in your form by carving into your clay structure with a thin blade and slowly releasing the slice form the form making sure to leave enough attached to the body for support.
Charles Clary is a fine artist that uses paper to creat what he calls “a world of fiction” that is meant to engage the viewer in way that they suspend their own belief of the world and venture into his fabricated reality. He creates this pieces by layering paper on top of one another with that largest at the base working with one another creat a unique land like formations that mimic viral colonies and concentric sound waves.
Although this method isn’t a texture technique I’ve included it so users can look at other ways in which you could build a from that creates its own texture from the form with a shelf like structure like this coral would be able root on the edge like it does natural and begin to spread to form the foundation of a coral reef, if your design was also able to Break down into parts like this then implementing it into a coral would be considered easier.