Bone china is a ceramic body with great qualities: it is translucent, picks up fine details, can be cast thin and is pure white. Unfortunately the material is very unstable during firing, when it reaches a temperature of about 1270º C. At these high temperatures – and under the influence of gravity – it tends to warp and slump.

In industry, 'setters' are often used to support products during firing so they won’t slump and lose their shape. The setter is a kind of mould that can take the high temperatures without deforming. Firing all this extra material takes a lot of energy, and is therefore inefficient and also very costly. Designing for bone china has inherent strictures, as any radical new shape requires the production of new setters.

In an attempt to eliminate the use of setters, these lights are designed to make advantage of all the qualities of bone china, including the slumping. By anticipating the material’s behaviour in the kiln, and incorporating that knowledge into the design, the material is allowed to create its own beautiful curves in some parts of the shape, while keeping definition in those that need to be precise. For example, the pendant light has a centre, which is self-supportive during firing and always fits a particular light bulb. The slumping creates the ‘hanging’ detail at the top and the curved outer surface.

This approach to design for bone china can help to reduce the energy use of firing setters, while exploiting the natural properties of the process to create beautiful, original shapes.

Willem van Landeghem
07506 021690
willem.van-landeghem@network.rca.ac.uk
www.willemvanlandeghem.nl