Ideation and Inspirations

Games are a crucial part of human culture. They have existed since long and will do so in the future. In 2035, a multi-spatial meditative and creative game would be a fun object to carry to the moon.

The basic shapes that almost all human-made objects consist of; the circle, square and triangle, are cast in various dimensions and multiple pieces. Textures and colors are included to add to the playfulness and visual design of the game.

Believed to have first appeared in Buddhist art forms, Mandala is a geometric design representing the universe. It is an artistic expression of storytelling which signifies transformation, balance and the journey of ‘coming back to the center’. Various cultures and festivals in India have adapted this template to express their identity. 

Another game that I used to play growing up is Tangram (black) which was a creatively challenging game. It consisted of 7 orthogonal shapes which could be arranged to create graphical objects, human figures, animals or a geometric pattern of your liking.

The circular wooden board represents inclusivity and is a creative safe space to express oneself.

Mandala Ceramique is a 3D game that encourages creative exploration.

The Gameplay is simple: Arrange the pieces around the center, break the grid, create your own patterns, spaces and meanings with them. 

One may also create various objects, animals and elements from nature and challenge their friends to guess; like a 3D pictionary.

Presented here are some of the variations of the game. Some of them were done by the audience at the DDS exhibition. :)

Process

This is the first time I have worked with porcelain and the learning curve was quite unexpected. 

The initial models were intuitively made with clay. However, for the game to work as I imaged, the pieces had to be accurate in their dimensions. For this reason I used the help of a 3D printer to get the desired shapes of the blocks. I would like to say a BIG thank you to Yu-Jie Wang for creating the digital 3D models and to Matthias Lipeck for printing them. 

The mould making process was interesting and at times confusing. I interacted with multiple materials (plastic, clay, plaster, wood) and chisel tools to carve the desired shape of the mould. Although slow paced, the feeling of toiling with hands was extremely satisfying. 

The real fun began when I first poured porcelain into the hollow plaster moulds that would eventually create the pieces of the game. The joy of seeing the first cast was unmatched but short-lived as it was immediately discarded. It's only from the 2nd pour that the plaster is ready to properly absorb the moisture and cast the pieces that would (hopefully) be part of the final game. 

'Drawing with water' as Maria Volokhova said, is the method to use water with soft sponge and brushes to shape the casted pieces and refine their form, remove unwanted edges and smoothen the surface. After the pieces are dry, finer details can still be worked upon using a sponge and the magic tool. The pieces were coloured after their final form was achieved. I would like to thank Maria for lending her colors. 

Colouring porcelain pieces is tricky as it immediately absorbs the water. As a result, I ended up apply a thicker layer of colour, especially on the blue pieces, which as seen later, cracked the surface. The colors are very sensitive and therefore extreme care had to be taken while applying them on the pieces. 

Once they are ready, the pieces are fired at a lower temperature to set their form. They are then coated with liquid glass for the final pieces to acquire the shine that you see.

After the 2nd firing, the actual shine and charm of porcelain is revealed.

Conclusions and Learnings

The process of working with porcelain was tedious but satisfying. I did not anticipate the amount of time and effort that casting multiple pieces and colouring them would need. 

However, during the entire process of casting more than 40 pieces, it made all the more comfortable, familiar and confident with porcelain. I am glad to have undertaken this journey and believed in the process.

This project would not have been possible without the contribution and collaboration of many people. I also learnt a lot from my colleagues who were part of the workshop. I am happy to see how their designs and ideations have taken shape in porcelain.

Thank you Ege Coskun for helping me with crafting the wooden base. 

A special thanks to Herr Bauer, who has been so kind and supportive to impart his teachings and expertise with porcelain during the workshop.

Let's Play

Usually, porcelain sculptures are a strict 'Do not touch'.

However, the purpose of making this game is so that one can actually touch them, feel the different weights, textures and play with them (with caution).

The game is available for everyone to try out. I encourage you to reach out to me and play this game and express your imaginations. :)