Grinder , 2024

Kinetic Sculpture

This is a glaze mill, which has been aestheticised with a contemporary approach. It is a mechanism that allows hard and heavy rocks attached to either sides of a log to rotate on a central axis. The glaze mixture, fired under high temperature in the troughs of the inferno section of the kiln, becomes hard as glass. Afterwards, the solid glaze mixture is ground in the mill until it reaches the consistency of flour. Then, the powdered glaze is mixed with water and applied onto the patterns that have been painted on the ceramics. After the glazed tiles are fired in the kiln, the patterns and colours applied onto the ceramic are preserved under the glaze and remain bright as in day one for hundreds of years.
The “Grinder” is a tool that tells the story of Elhamra. It allows the colours and story of Çini to live on for hundreds of years, thanks to the glaze it once ground. This kinetic glaze mill, produced as a contemporary art work, represents the fragmentation and disappearance of the craft of Çini in the face of today's industrialised production.

“Elhamra: Learning From Craft”, 2024

@ARTonGallery, Istanbul

Curator: Lydia Chatziiakovou 

Production assistant: Emrullah Büker 

Photo: Kayhan Kaygusuz

Thank you to Mustafa Kerkük, third generation master of Elhamra Çini for sharing the story of his family, their studio and archive.