Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.In the summer of 2021, Maja Quille had an encounter that would change her practice. The Denmark-born, London-based artist was curious about local clay and had contacted MOLA, a heritage services and archaeology company, about acquiring some. MOLA found a deposit while conducting excavations near London Bridge. “I got this big lump of clay out of the ground,” says Quille. “I had it in my hand. They said this is 50 million years old. And it was just, wow.”Quille says this locally sourced clay — referred to among ceramicists as “wild clay” — offers a medium to explore questions about human influence on the environment. For her art, Quille overfires clay foraged from the Thames along with the debris embedded within it, such as glass, coins and plastics. She then documents the lava-like results. Her work will be included in Pangolin London’s January 2025 exhibition, Earth Unwrapped.She sees this as city life compacted — glitter butting up against ancient fossils and organic matter. “There is a really interesting relationship between clay, industry and place,” says Quille. “We have lost that connection when we build now.”Quille’s art is unique, but her interest in wild clay is not. From sculptural pieces to tableware, a new movement has taken hold among ceramicists.“Even if you’re using a commercial clay, it has a history,” says French ceramicist and sculptor Jeanne François. “But you don’t know how much it has damaged the soil; how much it has changed the territory. Doing the digging myself allows me to understand more.” François studied ceramics and glass at the Royal College of Art in London. She constructs sculptural objects by playing with layers and textures, and creates wall-mounted tiles showcasing various wild clays.I got this big lump of clay out of the ground. I had it in my hand. They said this is 50 million years old. And it was just, wowWild clay presents unique challenges. Artisans typically rely on large commercial operations to supply clay, ensuring consistency. In contrast, foraged clay needs to be treated and tested. Consistency is nearly impossible. Often wild clay will have debris within it that needs to be sifted out. It must be dried and may need to be mixed with commercially processed clay to increase plasticity. Finding a successful firing temperature can be a game of trial and error.François embraced these challenges during the pandemic, when she returned home to the Alpine town of Chambéry. All the ceramics supply stores were closed and, missing her practice, she searched for clay in nature. François’ first attempts with the material were clumsy (clay can melt if fired at too high a temperature) but she became committed to sourcing it herself.For those who find wild clay too impractical, the appeal of local clay nevertheless persists. French ceramicist Mathilde Martin works exclusively with commercial Burgundy clay for her hand-shaped sculptural vessels. She connects with the sense of place local clay brings — if she lived outside France she would not use French clay, she says. While she appreciates its experimental nature, the unpredictability and preparation that goes into using foraged clay does not suit her practice. “It’s really chemistry; it’s another job,” Martin says.Others still have found a way to strike a balance between using commercial and wild materials. Glasgow-based Canadian potter Claire Henry became curious about wild clay during a 2023 residency in Crete. Walking on the Greek island, Henry stumbled upon a bank of red clay and took some back to her studio in Scotland.That experience led her to begin foraging closer to home. “It can be a way to connect to a place,” says Henry. “There’s so much depth within the land — the rock formations, the soil.”Henry now regularly collects clay from the banks of the River Clyde and is experimenting with adding it to her works in the form of slip (liquefied clay used for binding or decoration). She likes the idea of using foraged clay for one-off pieces but continues to use commercial clay as the base for her ceramics, because its reliability is necessary for her earthen-hued tableware.Concerns over environmental and sustainability issues may also be driving the upsurge in wild clay use. As cities undertake more and more building projects, clay is often a byproduct dug up and offloaded elsewhere. Both François and Quille have tapped into networks of construction sites that will give away their upturned clay and organisations such as the UK’s Golden Earth Studio give excavation waste secondary uses. “With wild clay, there’s so much promise,” says François. “It forces you to evolve.”Find out about our latest stories first — follow @ft_houseandhome on Instagram
