Celeste: A Cultural Beacon in Brick and Glaze

Min Zhuo's Award-Winning Pavilion Revives Traditional Kiln Techniques

The inspiration for Celeste came from the city's deep-rooted pottery culture. The locals' love for porcelain often overshadows the brick kilns that fire these exquisite pieces. Zhuo saw an opportunity to bring the kiln, a symbol often overlooked, into the spotlight. The result is a dramatic installation that awakens the locals to their traditional culture and lifestyle.

Before Celeste, the street corner was an empty lot occupied by random parking. The city reclaimed this urban space, calling for a design solution that could imbue it with cultural significance. Zhuo responded with a unique approach, using specially sintered bricks glazed and re-fired to build the kiln-shaped installation. The bricks, featuring the unique transmutation glaze of Celedon, were laid using an old brick masonry technique of corbel dome, adding a layer of historical authenticity to the structure.

At night, the pavilion takes on a magical quality. Young couples light candles inside, and through the holes between the bricks, it appears as if a thousand-year-old kiln fire has added a shiny gloss to the exterior enamel. This effect freezes a moment of flambé glaze on site, reminding the locals of their cultural heritage of firing Celedon pottery.

The construction of Celeste was not without its challenges. The bricks used for the project were different from the clay body of Celedon pottery. Special sintered bricks were chosen to be glazed and re-fired, requiring special glazing skills to produce 2,500 bricks, each with a different glaze color. The structure also utilized a traditional technique of corbel dome, often used in building pagodas in ancient times. A full-scale mock-up was experimented with to test the structural strength.

The Celeste project started in September 2019 and was completed in January 2020. It was a collaborative effort, with Sangshuang Liu and Yanfeng Chen working alongside Zhuo. The project's success was recognized when it was awarded the Golden A' Cultural Heritage and Culture Industry Design Award in 2021, a prestigious accolade granted to outstanding creations that advance art, science, design, and technology.

In conclusion, Celeste is more than just a pavilion; it is a cultural installation that revives traditional techniques and rekindles a love for local heritage. It stands as a beacon of cultural pride, reminding the locals of their long history of firing Celedon pottery, and serves as a testament to the transformative power of design.