Raku Shell — Silver Kintsugi Edition

This shell sculpture was created five years ago, during an early period of my exploration of form and material. It is one of my first ocean-inspired works made through the Raku technique — a rare, experimental firing method in which ceramic undergoes extreme thermal shifts and direct interaction with open flame.

The character of its surface was shaped by the reduction environment: after the initial firing, the piece was placed into a bed of wood shavings, where the absence of oxygen produced deep smoky tones, darkened crackle patterns, and a mineral-like, fossilized texture. The small red marks on the surface are the result of glaze transfer from another piece during the firing — an accidental imprint of the shared process, impossible to recreate intentionally.

Due to its scale, the shell experienced significant thermal shock and cracked — an inherent part of Raku, where risk is embedded in the technique. Years later, it was restored by a Kintsugi master, who filled each fracture with silver, transforming the points of rupture into visual accents and highlighting the work’s layered history.

This sculpture brings together multiple states: the original form, the traces of fire, the accidental marks, the breakage, and the restoration through traditional Kintsugi. It represents a unique interaction of material, chance, and time — a piece that cannot be replicated and exists as a singular object.

The sculpture is presented on a stable metal stand, custom-made to support its vertical display.

• Materials: Stoneware, Raku glaze, silver (Kintsugi)

• Techniques: Raku firing, reduction process, traditional Kintsugi restoration

• Uniqueness: one-of-a-kind, impossible to reproduce

• Display: stable metal stand for secure vertical presentation

Dimensions:

Height with stand — 32 cm (≈ 12.6 in)

Maximum width (diameter) — 36 cm (≈ 14.1 in)