jeffrey stephen miller

These tiles are comprised of two mass produced ceramic decal images. Drawing from the glaze testing technique of line blends this work seeks to document a part of the ceramic industry of Jingdezhen, China.

Thousands of extruded ceramic rods have been individually placed into a ceramic core.  These compositions explore the fragility of porcelain and terracotta along with the meditative process of repetition.

Using a paper shredder these tiles breakdown and carefully reorganize ceramic decals from Jingdezhen, China. 

This work is part of an on going collaboration with artist Thomas Schmidt.

Recycled China is a design team formed by Thomas Schmidt and Jeffrey Stephen Miller. As Americans having lived in Beijing, RC is inspired by the rich history of Chinese ceramics and the massive scale of ceramic industry within China today. Their work attempts to give new life to the huge quantity of discarded ceramics and other industrial waste from factories around China by transforming them into original artworks, functional design objects, and architectural tile. Their research lead to a new process of melting and casting recycled aluminum into molds containing crushed ceramic, brick, and glass as an aggregate material. Their discovery revealed that when these materials meet, the molten aluminum flows and curls around the shards and cools immediately, capturing this rapid collision. The resulting textures and compositions are dynamic and unpredictable, and are intended to reflect the dynamic and complex relationship between tradition and industry within China today. 

For more information please visit: www.recycledchina.com

Damaged decals that have been discarded from factories in Jingdezhen, China were sourced to make this work. Using a laser cutter, circles were made to frame the unique moments that happen during the"mistakes" within an industrial process. This project is an on going work in which new tiles are added and rearranged as discarded decals are collected.