Earth and Fire

At Utopia we work with a variety of ceramics- Stoneware, Earthenware and Raku.

Our bowls are thrown on a wheel and shaped by hand. After this there is a raw firing followed by a higher temperature glaze firing.

At each stage of the process we check the diameters and the roundness of the piece as clay moves in high temperatures. The molecules inside the bowls are shaped into the direction of the spinning wheel, giving them the orientation and position we want (round) but any small movement is remembered (like picking up the bowl) and there is a chance the molecules will move into this position in the heat.

Anett, ceramicist in North Germany

Unique to the utopia bowls are the rim profile (to locate the glass) and the bottom profile (to hold the wood).

All these profiles are shaped by hand and the corresponding parts are made to measure to fit the ceramic. It takes months to finish any piece with ceramic!