At the basis of this project, was a desire to preserve the value and quality of hand crafted ceramics, in a manner which is more efficient within the manufacturing process. This is achieved by reversing the traditional order of the industrial manufacturing line and shifting the manual work from the decoration stage (one before last in the chain of production) to the mold creating stage (the first in the chain of production).

In contrast with the conventional method of creating plaster molds which is based on a predetermined model, in this series, the molds were processed by hand spontaneously, using different drills especially designed for carving cavities in plaster. The combination of different drills and spontaneous free form work of the drilling processes creates a series of wares that share a common aesthetic born from the making process.

Each mold created is a limited edition, valid through the mold’s life span, and so – when the mold wears out, the series ends.

The development and work in negative was inspired by the concrete pieces of the ceramicist designer Gdula Ogen, Ran’s grandmother, who worked for many years in negative sculpting with sand box molds and concrete casts.

Futuristic Punk Red Sea Creatures was commissioned by Benyamini Contemporary Ceramics Center for “Matter of Fact” curated by Johnathan Hopp and Maya Ben David. The series includes 8 different pieces.