One of the objects in question is oval and made of smooth, white porcelain. It has a hole on each of two sides. On one side it has a lid for it, on the other a pipe that leads to the underworld. Many people slam the lid shut when they no longer use the object. As long as it is not thrown down, it is a quite robust object that is made in a factory. It's only when it's missing that you realise how much you depend on it and how quickly we take what we have for granted: a toilet.
If its porcelain is damaged or it comes out of production with other blemishes, it sometimes ends up in the rubbish even before it has been used. Unless it ends up in the hands of Disharee Mathur. For her project "NewBlue", the designer with a degree in interior design and innovation design engineering recycles post-industrial sanitary waste. She turns the raw material, which comes from defective toilets, sinks and glass parts that cannot be sold, back into new ceramic pieces like stackable vases.
The idea to recycle WCs, of all things, came about during the project. "Actually, I primarily wanted to help preserve the craft of the Jaipur Blue Pottery community and for that, I wanted to develop an innovative co-design with them," says Disharee. Jaipur's blue pottery is a rare pottery technique that does not use clay. Instead, quartz powder from the region, recycled glass, vegetable rubber and sand as a binder are mixed together and made into a malleable dough. "In the search for sustainable material compatible with the organic binders traditionally used by the craft, I finally came across waste toilets."
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Never the less, it took 18 months for the designer and the pottery community to find a suitable recipe that did not require changing the technique or the process of the craft. "In the beginning, it was difficult to source the waste. Later, it was a challenge to find out the required particle size of the crushed sanitary waste for the raw material of Jaipur Blue Pottery craft. After numerous rounds of grinding in the workshop, sampling and testing in the lab, we finally found the right shape." Meanwhile, the sanitary ware waste comes from several small and large sources such as ceramic factories or local retailers who accumulate rejects with cracks. The waste glass, on the other hand, comes from construction sites, picture frame shops and waste sorting sites, for example.
The vases and lamps are inspired by one of the oldest forms of Blue Pottery: the lotus. The tiles, on the other hand, take their cue from the traditional practice of keeping water cold in terracotta vessels. They use the strength and ability of their material to absorb moisture and in this way protect building facades against heat. Currently, all "NewBlue" ceramic pieces are only available to order. In the coming months, however, Disharee will be working on setting up her own online shop as well as various collaborations with galleries and brands, in which new forms will also be created with the "new blue material". Because the interdisciplinary designer has recognised the potential in what already exists. She sees waste as wealth and wants to continue to preserve the heritage of Indian craftsmanship with the new recipe.
