If there’s one creation that brings the magic of ceramics to life, it’s the BBQ’d tiles from Granby. Systems of glazing and decorating tiles have been developed over centuries, investigating the many ways heat, clay, pigments, and minerals react with one another and sometimes you really have to see it to believe it.
Granby have an extensive range of products in many forms and styles, but it is these smoked tiles that are particularly notable. These delightfully unique tiles were “developed through extensive research and development, combining backyard science with precision craft”, resulting in an otherworldly impression of movement and gas.
They look photographic, like an image taken from the fireside. They have an atmospheric glow, as if they are snapshots from another planet. However, the fact they have been produced through a thorough understanding of tiles, smoke, and fire makes them somehow even more mysterious.
The process involves slip-casting or press-moulding white earthenware clay, which is then fired to 1150°C. This helps the tiles to reach adequate strength and durability. They are then set alight once buried in a BBQ that has been filled with sawdust and a various additives. After 12 hours, the smoke produced by this process is absorbed deep into the clay body. The pieces are then separated from the ashes, cleaned, waxed and polished.
A new post by Hanna Simpson, Diary of a Tile Addict, April 2020.