Salt Cellars for the Salt Shed
I am so honored to do this collaboration with the coolest venue in Chicago!
I am a huge live music fan and so many of my favorite shows have happened at the Salt Shed. It was a challenge to recreate such an iconic building into a functional object but I am so proud of the finished pieces!
Each one of these vessels is handmade individually by me in my studio in Logan Square. Every single edge, corner, curve, and decal was placed individually with human hands. Here is a non-exhaustive look at some of the steps if you’re curious!
Each shed starts with a slab of porcelain clay and some templates to cut out each component
The roof/lid is made with a press mold, but each side needs to be cut out and placed individually
The base is one solid piece, scored and slipped at the spots where the edges come together
It is bent and attached into a solid rectangle
Once they are firm enough, each individual edge is carved out to make the lid fit the base
This process is very specific and requires a lot of detail!
Once they fit together, they need to dry slowly to avoid cracking or warping
Porcelain is very delicate - roughly 25% of the ones I made didn’t make it to the end of the process due to chipping, warping, or accidentally getting dropped on the floor
After they are dry, they are fired in a kiln to convert the porcelain clay to ceramic to prepare it for glazing. They are sanded, glazed, and then fired again.
They are then fired a third time to add the iconic decals! This is a small army of them awaiting the 3rd firing
The inside of the lid gets to wear the Salt Shed logo
I hope you love these as much as I do!