Internal Worksession 5: Workshop Prep

Internal work session 5: Preparing the Earthbound Hardware Workshops

• Time and date: April (2 hours)
• Location: online
• Participants: Heerko, Benedetta, Sophie, Amalie, Mark, Ismal, Anja, Dorine

• An online meeting to prepare our student workshop.

• Workshop timeline

• **11.00 - 13.15 **

  • Gathering at the buurtwerkplaats and going into the area to source & document wild clay
• 13.15 - 13.45
  • Lunch back at the buurtwerkplaats, Márk will make sure there is a simple lunch available for all participants
  • **introduction to the buurtwerkplaats by Claire **
• 13.45 - 15.00
• Each participants makes two objects out of clay: One clay PCB and one object that could function as an instrument / something that can be activated during a performance when we receive a signal from the clay pcb.
• 7 June
• firing the clay pcb’s in the electric oven
• 8 June Workshop 2.13:00 - 17:00
• During this workshop we will split the group in 2 and follow this timeline:

• 13.00 - 14.30

  • Group 1: firing of the ceramic objects (instruments?) made during workshop 1 on a bonfire (with Esra, Sophie, Amalia and Benedetta).

  • Group 2: soldering etc with Heerko

  • 14.30 - 15.30
  • Group 1 and 2: Arduino workshop with Heerko

• 15.30 - 17.00

  • Group 1: soldering etc with Heerko

  • Group 2: firing of the ceramic objects (instruments?) made during workshop 1 on a bonfire (with Esra, Sophie, Amalia and Benedetta)

• Notes:

• First phase of the workshop: gathering the wild clay
• there are no quick tests can be done on location, the clay needs to be sent to the laboratory, like levels of toxicity
• many things can be said about the physical properties though like plasticity
• it gives a clue to on what temperature it should be fired but its an assumption
• Niew West cleanest earth in amsterdam, hisotrically agricultural area as opposed to other areas of amsterdam, industry and war
• reddish color of clay in the area, probably iron, Esra usuall adds 10% commercial clay
• we collect the clay next to watery areas
• we try to feel it to know if its suitable
• We look around 50cm deep
• Benedetta has recycled/circular sourced commercial clay. we can use this if we want to add that to the wild clay
• we are mixing the clay with commercial clay to avoid cracking and to get higher the resistance of the clay to temperature
• the clay changes from meter to meter of area we explore
• we need sieves to take away stones etc.. and to homogenize the material
• adding Kaolin or ball clay is also possible
• what we still need:
  • parrot knives for workshop,
  • 10mm wooden slats to roll the clay to thickness
  • plaster board cut to pieces: GAMMA | Gyproc plafondplaat RK 200x60cm 9,5mm kopen? | Gipsplaten
  • buy cookie cutter
  • firewood one pack
  • make long sticks with paint at the end for registering locations of clay
• we are doing a simple bonefire, it needs to be built well
• Amalie has clay from another site in amsterdam, got through contact with the gemeente
• documentation:
  • photography
  • sound recording
  • location marker sticks
  • clay scanned in flatbed scanner
• the silver is put on the tiles before firing and fired together
• conversation around the bonefire - everbody brings questions