Frustrated Ceramics present a novel approach to the ancient old processing of ceramic material, suggesting self-shaping of clay, from 2D sheet to a complex 3D shape. Capitalizing on the natural shrinkage of clay material during the firing process, Frustrated Ceramics is a bi-layer composed of two clay types (porcelain and stoneware), having different shrinkage coefficient.

Triggered by heat, internal stresses develop in the material during the firing process, becoming a frustrated material. These result in the self-morphing of the flat bi-layer into a complex 3D shape. The resulting is predictable, and is parametrically  controlled through different variables such as thickness, material architecture and grooves.

Introducing grooves in the high-shrinking porcelain surface, we control the orientation of curvature, while grooving of the lower-shrinking stoneware, affects the amount of curvature.