OBJECT DESIGN · 2007
Siren
A porcelain coffee collection shaped by seashells, asymmetry, and the balance between sculpture and use.
Myth expressed through porcelain
Siren is a coffee-set design exploring the tension between emotional form and rational function. The myth provides a starting metaphor for attraction and restraint. Seashell geometry gives that idea a physical structure: folded edges, opening halves, and asymmetrical curves.
Sculpture in an everyday ritual
Rosenthal’s approach to sculptural domestic ceramics informed the project. Siren develops its own organic, asymmetrical direction, using the changing relationship between light, shadow, and curvature to give ordinary vessels a tactile presence.
A family of related forms
The collection includes large and small coffee pots, a milk jug, sugar bowl, cup and saucer, tissue box, and candle holder. Each object interprets the shell structure according to its use.
Coffee pots
Two shell-like halves form the body. The spout and handle grow from the rim.
Milk jug and sugar bowl
The jug continues the curved contour; shell relief gives the sugar bowl a tactile surface.
Cup and saucer
A restrained cup meets an asymmetrical saucer that opens like a petal.
Tissue box and candle holder
Folded surfaces let light trace the porcelain and connect these objects with the rest of the family.
From gypsum to fired porcelain
I developed the pieces through traditional ceramic techniques, including gypsum sculpting, mold refinement, slip casting, drying, and trimming. The original project records bisque firing around 800°C, glazing, and a final firing around 1280°C. Production in Fujian used an industrial roller kiln to support consistent glaze and body quality.
Model and mold
Sculpt the initial gypsum form, duplicate it, and refine the mold.
Cast and finish
Use porcelain slurry for slip casting, then dry and trim the body.
Fire and glaze
Bisque-fire, apply the glaze, and complete the final high-temperature firing.
What the material contributes
The finished objects give the idea a material test. The curves must work as vessels and as a visual family. Gloss, translucent edges, and the movement of light across the folds connect function with the sculptural premise. This is a completed object-design project from 2007.