Test Tile 01
Artist: Tom Lauerman, Original Creation Date: December 18, 2023.
An animated series of geometric tiles in unfired clay. 39 frames, 2160 x 2160 pixels.
In a ceramics studio test tiles are a small objects typically used to test a surface treatments such as glazes, slips, or just a bare clay body. Typically the production of test tiles is a relatively low stakes research effort that accompanies the production of more complex sculpture or pottery forms.
On a more personal note, if I have been away from the studio for a time I find that it can be difficult to restart projects and pick up where I left off. Making a test tile, or a series of them, can be a way to restart without feeling overwhelmed. With this in mind, I often wonder if it might be better to conceive of all studio work as test tiles, and to cultivate a "test tile mentality" in general. This shift could foreground experimentation and iteration and set aside for a moment the complexities of larger projects and contexts.
This animation is a series of 39 tiles in damp clay. After completing the animation my intention is to dry the tiles, bisque fire them, and apply glazes to them before remaking (re-animating) the work in color.
The tiles were designed and animated in Blender and materialized via a custom 3D printer in my studio. Many were further sculpted or surfaced using hand tools and techniques.