woven translations

Woven translations is a year long research into creating a production process for multi-coloured ceramics. The machine is inspired by the textile industry and the way colour is created by 'stacked' strands of thread.
My ceramic printer makes use of a process similar to the way tapestries are woven. Every colour is present at all times yet an image is created by bringing one of the colours to the surface. This means the Design (much like on industrial weaving and knitting machines) is actually a 2d image. So until the object is printed all input is 2d, consisting of code, variables and images.

I decided to build all aspects of this production process myself, which meant designing and producing all machine parts, putting together the electronics, creating the software, researching different clay bodies and pigments, and designing the actual outcome.
Doing all this simultaneously allowed me to react and adapt along the way. Mechanical problems caused a reaction in my material research, looking for softer clay, and adding water if needed. The softer clay affected the design and code, slower printing to facilitate drying and so on.