The Paradise Portal

The Paradise Portal was my final thesis project for my MA programme at the King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts in London, United Kingdom. A unique and innovative undertaking, the project was inspired by an element of the design of the early 13th-century Seljuk ‘Divrigi Mosque and Hospital’ in present-day Turkiye. The piece is realised in an ancient Etruscan ceramics technique known as ‘bucchero’, which I studied in Gubbio, Italy. Using terracotta clay, the ceramics are fired in an oxygen-starved environment together with charcoal, which renders it black. Burnishing the clay’s surface prior to firing imparts a shiny texture, and allows for contrast between burnished and non-burnished areas.

Once the design is finalised, the full-scale elements are carved into a block of plaster, which acts as the mould to receive the clay. The clay is then impressed into the plaster, removed, and allowed to dry before being refined with sanding and burnishing, if applicable. The individual tiles are then fired in an air-tight metal container together with charcoal, transforming them black.