Repurposing Ceramics with Yoon Seok-hyeon
OTT / ANOTHER PARADIGMATIC CERAMIC, NEW OBJECT OTT
While foraging for an alternative to the toxic finish used in the ceramic industry, Yoon Seok-hyeon, a conceptual designer and material researcher, stumbled upon Ottchil or Ott, a traditional and historical Korean technique that employs the sap of the lacquer trees. In this practice, objects are varnished with lacquer, a type of coating that is filtered and refined after being extracted from the bark of its trees. Its adhesive and natural preservative qualities, and resistance to water and heat have made lacquer a sought-after finishing over the surface of several materials such as metal, wood, porcelain, and paper. The coating also confers the objects antibacterial, waterproof, and insect-repellent properties to retain its features and materiality.
NEW OBJECT OTT / APC 2021
When the Korean designer looks at day-to-day materials and objects around him, he ponders on how he can redefine their purpose. “Surroundings of everyday life often become a starting point of my design projects. I observe and analyze them, then try to link them to design, environment, society, and industry,” he shares. He infuses materiality and socio-cultural values into his designs and creations as part of his pursuit to discover stories of human life through a centuries-old practice. “As a designer, I interpret designs through my perspective and create objects to support and enhance our lives using this philosophy. My design process follows concept arrangement based on exploring a subject, in-depth research for materiality and contexts, hands-on practice such as drawing, model-making, and production,” he writes.
Yoon graduated from Design Academy Eindhoven in 2019 where he presented Ottchil lacquered bowls, vases, and plates for his collection Ott / Another Paradigmatic Ceramic during the graduation show at the Dutch Design Week. Glazed ceramic pieces cannot be melted down at most waste facilities, making them difficult to be recycled. Instead, they end up in landfills, broken into pieces and decorating the refuse. “It is a shame that clay, one of the most natural materials, is treated in this way”. says Yoon. “Glassy ingredients of glazing complicate ceramic recycling because when they are baked as one, they fuse together, and the material is not pure anymore.”
NEW OBJECT OTT / APC 2021
For his series, Yoon materialized ceramic recycling using Ottchil or Ott by varnishing ceramic objects with lacquer. He explains that once Ottchil or Ott is glazed on the surface, it will dry out on its own. “It evaporates when it is heated with the high temperature in kilns,” he adds. The pieces he presented repurposed ceramics instead of being tossed in the bins. His interpretation of the traditional Korean Ott lacquer technique earned Yoon the René Smeets Award for the best Bachelor of Arts project and a talent development grant from the Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie for his Ott series.
The South Korean designer works from his studio in Eindhoven, combining traditional methods with contemporary approaches. In October 2021, Yoon Seok-hyeon's Ott / Another paradigmatic ceramics can be seen in his solo exhibition at the Princessehof, the National Museum of Ceramics of the Netherlands, which also offers visitors an overview of his design and creative process.
OTT / ANOTHER PARADIGMATIC CERAMIC / Photography by Ronald Smits / 2019 - ongoing project