Life of Clay

Overview

As ceramic production around the UK is changing, research activities have gathered pace regarding how clay can be digitally manipulated. This research at Grymsdyke Farm, Buckinghamshire, combined traditional and digital technologies to produce ceramic tiles for the V&A Museum, the first 3D-printed ceramic elements used in an architectural project.

3D printing with clay resembles the process of coiling, a technique in use for many thousands of years, but with a digitally controlled mechanism. This can be programmed to move like the hand of a clay modeller, performing identical movements repeatedly without variation.

In 2018, the V&A commissioned Guan Lee to create tiles for the floor area in its main shop. These had to be designed and made to be robust, slip-resistant, geometrically consistent and, at the same time, all unique. Lee developed a way to 3D print each tile with a robotic arm. Without the need for moulds, there was no need for repetition. Over a period of two years, this project pushed boundaries in ceramic production with digital tools to make a large-scale architectural installation. The final iteration combined 3D printing with traditional casting. The tiles had their moulds removed whilst they were still wet and multiple casts were taken at a greater rate with more overall consistency. The project demonstrated the value of manual and robotic practices of clay for a successful outcome.

The precision, range of movement and indefatigability of an industrial robotic arm to 3D print with clay allows the development of a new formal vocabulary in architecture. This research explores how printed ceramics can be applied to architecture in ways that conventional treatments of clay cannot.