Beyond Metals

From Wasteland to Living Room

‘Beyond Metals’ is a continuing series of design collections and projects in which we use various metallurgical byproducts, both from mining and recycling, to create thought-provoking domestic items. The goal of this work is to demonstrate a turning point in our relationship with the notion of the wasteland. Instead of a failure point or dead-end, instead of the inevitable material demise, could these wastelands be seen as starting points, ripe with possibilities? Could the rejected materials be useful, sustainable and beautiful? Could they offset our demands elsewhere? The designed objects are both critical and optimistic. Through these pieces, we hope to shed light on the realities behind our everyday materials, while also sparking possible uses of these wastes, particularly within architecture and design.

Copper Slag

Copper is the oldest metal mined by mankind and has become ubiquitous to our electrified, modern world. During the production of the shiny metal, large amounts of slag are produced as well. This slag consists of various impurities and is cast aside as black, glassy sand during the smelting process - we like to think of it as a sort of man-made lava. Slag is produced regardless if the metal is made from mining or recycling. As such, slag is an inevitability of our future, and has been amassing in mountainous heaps for centuries; industrial-era slag heaps are still common to the European landscape. Like lava, slag also benefits from unique properties, and can be used as an alternative to cement – a ‘geopolymer’ – with up to 77% lower CO₂ footprint. We have been exploring slag geopolymers in tandem with the scientists of KU Leuven, developing a variety of products ranging from architectural tiles to furniture and interior items. In our latest collection we reunite copper metal with its less desirable slag counterpart in order to tell a more complete story of copper, and its origins.

Red Mud

‘Red mud’, also known as bauxite residue, is a byproduct of producing aluminium. Over 150 million tonnes of red mud are made each year, resulting in vibrant red landfills that are visible from space. In the ongoing red mud collections, we transform red mud into ceramic objects, including vases and wall tiles. A variety of glazes are also made utilizing the metal oxides present in the residue. The result is a dark burgundy ceramic body, with rich blacks, blues, and rusts in the glaze. The obscured nature of the industrial process and its gargantuan scale run in opposition to the usual perception of ceramics which elicit warmth, fragility, and finesse. It is precisely because of this contrast that we chose to make red mud into ceramics: to challenge how we perceive this mining waste at its core.