the making of: avolution avocados by C4

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the making of: avolution avocados by C4

Nov 06, 2011

first image
'avolution' avocado ceramic dishes, amidst other works by c4 design studio
image © designboom

created by C4, the team of austrian creative director christiane büssgen and mexican designer 4lonso (jesús alonso),
'avolution' is a series of porcelain bowls that translates the form of an avocado to a permanent piece of dishware.
the product was borne out of the team's interest in texture and natural materials, as well as the ubiquity and
importance of avocados in mexican culture and cuisine.

the avocado bowls are cast from a two-part mold formed from a real avocado. the designers utilize the smooth varietal
of the fruit to create a brown model, whose exterior is left raw and interior is glazed; as well as the rougher hass species,
used primarily to make white porcelain dishes.

here, C4 gives designboom an inside look at the creation of the 'avolution' pieces. a two-part mold, originally cast
from a real avocado half, is filled with liquid porcelain and left with the top off for 15 minutes. at this point,
all remaining liquid is drained, leaving a shell-like form. after letting the piece dry for 40 minutes, the designers
remove the top stratum of the mold and cut away the additional material along the piece's top, molding the edges
as they remove the avocado from the mold.

each piece is glazed by hand in brown, white, or a specialty colour glaze, and fired for 14 hours.

full view
image © designboom

additional view

pieces from across c4's collections

concept sketch

pouring the ceramic into a mold, which is formed from an actual avocado

a filled mold

the result of the first cast includes additional material along the top of the 'shell'

the designers remove the top stratum of the mold...

... and cut away the additional clay

an avocado is set next to a cast 'avolution' piece

a completed ceramic, ready for finishing

jenny db

11.06.11

There’s no need to make a two-part mold for the half shell.

D.Chen says:

Nov 07, 2011

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