Eden McKenzie

Beauty in the Mundane is about taking outdoor objects that are deemed as eye sores or unaesthetic, and remaking/reimagining them using ceramics, which is more environmentally friendly compared to plastics.
 
We see objects such as salt bins or bollards in our day-to-day life, and they will influence how we view our world. Outdoor objects like these were made to cater functionality, but this project shows the irony of focussing more on the design aesthetic than how durable it is. I also wanted to inspire other ceramicists to experiment with the material beyond domestic objects, which could create more design opportunities. 
 
The project entails a 1:4 scale collection of ceramic outdoor objects including a park bin, salt bin, dog poo bin, road barrier, and 4 bollards. Each item was made to the original design but using different ceramic decoration techniques such as lace imprinting to make them aesthetically pleasing. I would have ideally liked to have made these objects in full scale, however the time frame I was working with was too short and the logistics of kiln sizes would have made this difficult. 
The future of Beauty in the Mundane would be to work alongside engineers, other ceramicists, and local councils to make this project a reality both aesthetically and functionally.