CERAMICS – Central News Hub

Experience the World of Ceramics

Vinod Daroz’s ceramic gold bar installation is a testament to the integration of creative processes and philosophical foundations…reports Asian Lite News

The Art Alive Gallery’s new group show titled ‘Immersive Infinities’ being held in the national capital features works of six artists that allow the audience to experience ceramic art through the prism of immersive experiences while narrating stories of history, politics, nature, environmental concerns, community, and more.

On till December 15, 2023, the group show features works of Vinod Daroz, Thomas Louis, Rakhee Kane, Shirley Bhatnagar, Shweta Mansingka, and Partha Dasgupta.

Talking about the curatorial framework, the show’s curated Kristine Michael says: “The artist as storyteller takes the audience on a journey tapping into an emotional memory or truth – both literally and metaphorically. An immersive experience is transformative – a conduit to take you by the hand into a new vision created by the artist in an intimate spatial environment through visual and tactile delights.”

“This exhibition allows the audience to experience ceramic works that span a range of topics, from architecture to social justice, the body, the domestic, the political, and the organic, to reclaim the centrality of ceramics as a medium in the world of art,” he adds.

Vinod Daroz’s ceramic gold bar installation is a testament to the integration of creative processes and philosophical foundations.

“Objects of Me” is an immersive experience created by Rakhee Kane, who borrows from her journey and uses art as a medium to take viewers into her world. She uses space to explore the impermanence of relationships, mirroring the natural cycles of life.

Shirley Bhatnagar’s art is a fascinating blend of ancient pottery traditions and contemporary sensibilities. Her work ‘Not Exactly Human’ becomes a vessel for storytelling, human-animal interplay, and the creation of a unique, otherworldly experience in a world dominated by mass-produced and impersonal materials.

Shweta Mansingka’s art draws inspiration from the Advaita philosophy which attributes the potential and completeness of infinite creation to each atom. ‘Locked Vulnerabilities’ is a contemplative ceramic wall installation that delves into the human experience of vulnerability. Her other work, ‘Circle with Many Centers and No Circumference’ challenges conventional notions of structure and form.

Thomas Louis’ (‘Guardian Spirit’) perspective underscores the interplay between vulnerability, resilience, and our relationship with the environment.

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Indian researchers develop transparent ceramics

Transparent ceramics is a new class of advanced materials with unique transparency and excellent mechanical properties…reports Asian Lite News.

Reaching theoretical transparency through a technique called colloidal processing followed by simultaneous application of temperature and pressure, Indian researchers have – for the first time – developed transparent ceramics.

The material can be used for thermal imaging applications, especially in harsh service conditions and personal protection systems such as, helmets, face shields, and goggles, a Ministry of Science & Technology release on Wednesday said.

Transparent ceramics is a new class of advanced materials with unique transparency and excellent mechanical properties. These materials can be designed not only for transparent to visible light but also for ultraviolet, infrared, and radio frequency, giving opportunity for diverse applications.

Though produced by different countries globally, transparent ceramics are restricted in supply as they can be used for strategic applications. Though several attempts were made in the country, the transparent ceramics produced were either on a laboratory scale or low transparency. “Currently developed process is able to produce the sizes usable for several applications and on a pilot scale,” the release claimed.

Generally, prepared from the high purity powders through a line of critically engineered processing steps, transparent ceramics needs preparation processes that will help achieve theoretical transparency by eliminating defects. Chemical vapour deposition, involving reactions of the precursors in the vapour phase at elevated temperatures, and hot isostatic pressing (HIP) involving simultaneous application of temperature and pressure are a few advanced processing techniques generally practiced to address the above challenges. An enhanced diffusion process at high temperature under pressure is suggested as the possible mechanism to eliminate the defects.

Researchers at the ARCI have produced magnesium aluminate spinel ceramics with colloidal processing followed by HIP technique.

Transparent spinel (MgAl₂O₄) ceramic is used traditionally for applications such as high-energy laser windows because of its excellent transmission in visible wavelengths and mid-wavelength infrared (0.2–5.0 μm) when combined with selected materials (Wikipedia)

“Spinel is currently emerging as a transparent ceramic based on the outstanding optical properties of transmission – more than 75 per cent in the visible and more than 80 per cent in the infrared range. It also has higher strength of 200 megapascal and hardness of more than 13 Gigapascal,” the research regarding the development, published in the journal ‘Materials Chemistry and Physics’ recently, said.

With potential applications in infantry personal protection systems involving thermal imaging such as helmets, face shields, and goggles, these transparent ceramics developed in India is a step towards Atmanirbhar Bharat, the release said.

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