Day 11: The Make Works Christmas Countdown

For the Make Works Christmas Countdown this year, we will be telling you a bit about different materials each day, with suggestions about where you can work with it in Scotland.

Day 11: Clay 

Clay is a natural material found in the ground, which has been used by humans since prehistoric times. Some of the earliest pottery shards were found in central Honshu, Japan. 

Depending on the soil content surrounding the clay, it can appear grey, orange or brown. Beginning as a flexible material due to its water content, clay can be cast, thrown, hand built or printed onto. Once fired it becomes hard and brittle. Clay can be used with different materials and firing conditions - which produces earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain.

Typically, clay is used in the ceramics industry - used to make pottery, sculpture, bricks, tiles, cooking pots to dishware. It is responsive to temperature, retaining heat or keeing things very cool. Once fired clay is also waterproof, making it perfect for tableware. There are many makers, artists and designers working in ceramics, continuing to find new ways of working with more traditional casting, forming and firing techniques. 

For example, in 2016 architecture collective Assemble developed tiles made from clay, reinterpreting the traditional Japanese Raku firing technique and using a portable BBQ. 

In the UK, some industrial potteries in Stoke on Trent are still running. In Scotland however there are few ceramic factories, so to make work in clay you need to work with a smaller scale ceramicist, or access a ceramics workshop like Cyan Clayworks to make work yourself. There is more information in these guides to ceramic manufacturing.