Description
Irony celebrates iron oxide — more commonly known as rust — by allowing it to grow uninhibited on porcelain, creating a mesmerising abstract landscape in the process. Iron oxide gives certain clays their earthy terracotta tones and has been used as a pigment since Neolithic times. However, in porcelain production, the presence of iron oxide is unwelcomed as it creates black spots that contaminate the pristine white surface.
In Irony, both the rust and porcelain are equally desirable. Julie & Jesse actively cultivates iron oxide out of rusty metal pieces collected from a former military equipment factory in Jingdezhen and metal recyclers in Chai Wan, Hong Kong. The duo immerse eggshell porcelain discs in a rust bath and use rusty pieces to “paint”, allowing iron oxide to leave its mark in an organic manner. Unlike the first edition of Irony, which was fired to seal in the rust, resulting in a much darker grey colour, the final works of this series remain unfired. This allows the rust to retain its original tone and remain fragile to touch. The translucency of the porcelain serves as the perfect ground to accentuate the iron oxide painting, poetically presenting the beauty of decay.
