Kevala Ceramics

Through the eyes of material and process designer Sara Howard from London, UK.

Sara joined Kevala as a part of a transformative long-term artist residency at
our headquarters in Sanur, Bali. Her mission: to pioneer innovative solutions
that would elegantly seal the waste loop in our ceramics production. The
synergy between Sara and Kevala produced a fourteen-piece collection,
meticulously crafted from locally sourced materials originally destined for
landfill.

Q . How would you describe yourself as a creative?

I would describe myself as a material and process designer for the ceramics
industry, but ultimately that is a tiny fraction of what I do. When I reflect on
this project what I see a large proportion of my work really being about is
building an understanding of the waste flows within a community and
connecting people to form relationships. This sets the foundation of Circular Ceramics, which I see as just the tip of the iceberg. The tableware collection embodies these symbiotic relationships between people, and industries, that
allow us to create valuable products that can responsibly meet demand.

Q .What intrigues you about the ceramic medium?

Initially it was the designing through making that caught my attention. Being
hands on with a material and designing solutions using three dimensional
models felt the most natural for me. I later found out there was lot more to
ceramics when it came to materiality, than what I initially thought. The clay
body alone can be made up of 8+ minerals, sourced from various locations,
to create a durable and reliable body. Glaze compositions are another world.
As a ceramicist, you accept that it will take more than a lifetime to master

Q . When was the first time you encountered clay?

I was 19 when I was first introduced to clay as a design medium.
Having previously been drawn to interactive art and functional products, ceramic tableware became the perfect medium for me to explore both of these
avenues.

Q . What informs your choice of form and surface finish for your collection?

I revel in setting myself parameters to work within, that allow me to achieve a
certain goal I set out for myself. The form for the Circular Ceramic collection
is entirely dictated by the choice to extend the lifetime of the product. Particularly when the tableware’s destination is more often than not a
hospitality environment. This is in contrary to the colour of the pieces, which
I am rarely in control of. Once I have reclaimed a waste stream and
understood its behaviour, I compose a glaze composition and accept the
colour for what it is. Colouring oxides are often associated with the highest ecological and social impact in ceramics, so I exclude these from my
collection. Recent developments in my research have led me to
source a range of colouring oxides from consumer waste, so you may see a
bit of colour coming through in future collections.