'Rare Earthenware'; ceramic vessel made using toxic materials; by Unknown Fields Division, London Sculpture Workshop [Ceramics Production], 2015

Charcoal-grey ceramic vessel, made from black stoneware clay incorporating toxic mud.

Purchased through the Design Fund

A set of these vessels was commissioned by the V&A and exhibited in the 2015 exhibition 'What is Luxury?'. This set (W.2-2016, W.3-2016, W.4-2016; purchased through the Design Fund, 2015/724) is not the same one as was shown in that exhibition. These vessels have been treated with a light matt spray lacquer to consolidate their surfaces, to prevent shedding potentially harmful dust.

The self-declared nomadic studio Unknown Fields Division, founded by Liam Young and Kate Davies and based at the Architectural Association (AA) in London, annually undertakes expeditions. These trips aim at ‘the ends of the earth exploring unreal and forgotten landscapes, alien terrains and obsolete ecologies’.

Rare earth elements are the 17 most sought after minerals in the world, used in high-end electronics and green technologies. Conceived by Unknown Fields Division and made with ceramicist Kevin Callaghan, the forms of the vases are inspired by valuable Ming dynasty porcelain. The vases are precisely sized in relation to the amount of waste created in the production of three common consumer products that use rare earth – a smartphone, a featherweight laptop and the cell of a smart car battery.

This project is a conceptual work commenting on the effects of the demands and desires of current cultures of consumption. It reveals the environmental consequences of globalization, in particular specialized production and global supply chains and questions the conditions for people working within these contexts. Rare Earthenware neither wants solely to critique nor to suggest that there are easy solutions. Instead, the project stimulates reflection and encourages debate about the objects that sustain contemporary life. The film not only identifies, documents and provides evidence of such processes and effects but through the combination of image and graphic material it also actively comments and interprets.

Rare Earthenware raises questions about a number of objects, mainly electronic and consumer goods. It challenges the euphoric desire for and unquestioned focus on innovation and technological development while the consequences on environment, culture, society and the life of individuals are left unconsidered. It complements conceptual projects in the collection such as Thomas Twaites’ Toaster Project (see W.12-2014).

The highly restricted Bayan Obo rare earth mine with its treasure mountain deposit is the world’s largest and, as of 2005, is responsible for 45% of global rare earth metal production. The rare earth elements are commonly used in products such as magnets, camera lenses, and batteries, as well as wind turbines. A rare-earth refinery concentrates rare earth ore into industrial application before it is force dried into powder form. 76% of the world’s rare-earth magnets are produced in China.

According to the Chinese Society of Rare Earths, 9,600 to 12,000 cubic meters (340,000 to 420,000 cubic feet) of waste gas containing dust concentrate, hydrofluoric acid, sulphur dioxide, and sulphuric acid are released with every tonne of rare metals that are mined. Approximately 75 cubic meters (2,600 cubic feet) of acidic wastewater, plus about a tonne of radioactive waste residue are also produced.

Unknown Fields Division visited China Commodity City, Yiwu Futian market in Zhejiang province, which was acknowledged in 2005 by the UN, the World Bank and Morgan Stanley amongst other world authorities as the “largest small commodity wholesale market in the world”. It currently covers an area of four million square meters, with 62,000 booths inside. 100,000 suppliers exhibit 400,000 kinds of products. The products come from around 40 industries and include 2,000 different categories of goods. 65% of these products are exported to over 215 countries and regions.

Unknown Fields Division also stopped at an electronics factory in one of about 60,000 factories in Guangdong province employing 10 million rural migrant workers – 58.5% of workers have depression, 17% have anxiety, 4.6% have considered suicide.

On 3rd of August 2014 Unknown Fields Division visited Baotou in Northern China and took the mud from the toxic lake of mine and refinery tailings (waste) stretching over 6km from Baogang Iron and Steel Corporation. One tonne of rare earth produces 75 tonnes of acidic waste water, a cocktail of acids, heavy metals, carcinogens and radioactive material at three times background radiation. The mud was used to craft the set of three ceramic vessels.

Edition 1 of 3.

Rare Earthenware comprises three vases made from the mud of a radioactive lake shown alongside a film by photographer Toby Smith. The vases are the result of Unknown Fields Division’s 2015 expedition to China when they traced the global supply chain of rare earth elements to their source at a radioactive tailings (mine dump) lake around Baotou in Inner Mongolia. The film documents the journey and comments on the expedition’s findings through graphic overlays.

This vessel is made from the exact amount of toxic waste produced from the manufacture of a smartphone.

W.4-2016