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My 40 Ceramics Pieces With An Attitude That I Upcycled From Unwanted Dishes
I create functional artwork made from discarded pots at a community ceramic studio in Brooklyn, NY.
The challenge is to make something new out of half-finished pottery.
I was never great at drawing from life, but I know how to put eyes and noses together to make some funny faces. The first ceramic studio I worked at had a big pile of unwanted pottery in the back yard that they let people glaze for free to test out different glaze combinations. I quickly became obsessed with drawing faces and writing notes on the discarded dishes. I loved that quick throw-away jokes could be applied to a material that, if not dropped on the floor, could last for thousands of years.
More info: Instagram | davezackin.com
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#1
I am afraid of the dark.
Final score:
97points
I’ve since moved to a bigger community studio — Gasworks NYC in Brooklyn — and have put up signs everywhere asking others to leave unfinished projects on my shelf for me to glaze or sculpt on top of. Working with an almost endless supply of unwanted pottery keeps me from taking anything too seriously. Badly misshapen, lumpy, and poorly thrown pots are some of the most fun to transform.
When I start working on a piece, I try to paint myself into a corner and then find a messy path out. That means starting to write a sentence on the outside of a vase without knowing how I am going to finish it. I like when the mistakes show up. Mutations are important to evolution. I take a lot of inspiration from hand written signs on deli doors or advertising yard sales — they get the message across, but aren't concerned with too many best-practices and rules of design. Convincing myself to ignore a few rules is the best way to get over my insecurities and start something new.
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#2
Dear cat, your food is disgusting and you cannot read and I love you.
Final score:
91points
#3
Let's eat cookies an after that...
Final score:
86points
Most of the pots I work on don't have space for me to write more than a sentence, so I try to cut out any unnecessary words and let the reader fill in some blanks. My favorite messages — ones like “I’m sorry your new baby is illiterate,” “these flowers are from the fancy deli, not the regular deli,” “I didn’t know what to get you, so I got you this dish. It was $700” use a few words to move from something conventional to something very slightly stranger. I aim for messages that are grounded in real situations — giving a gift, labeling a container, making a meal — but wind up somewhere unexpected.
#4
I can see my house from here!
Final score:
83points
#5
You have eaten all my brains. I hope you are happy.
Final score:
78points
By making a lot of pieces every day and not spending too long on each one, I am able to avoid overthinking things and get some strange results. I have 100,000 bad ideas in me. I need to get all of them out into the world so I can start getting into the good ideas that come next.
I think it is okay to do things the easy way as long the easy way is my own unique easy way. The easy way for me is to take a dish and just start painting or sculpting without too much of a plan. A lot of ceramic work is about the beauty of the craft and working toward an ideal form. I tend to move in the opposite direction — I love to make something that looks all wrong, doesn’t cost much to buy, and is somehow too memorable to throw away.
#6
Don't talk to me.
Final score:
73points
#7
This text makes the bowl harder to clean.
Final score:
71points
I live in a small apartment in New York City and make things until I run out of storage space. Once my apartment is full I have a big sale on my website, mail everything off, and start working on new stuff. I’ve seen my work grow and change over the years, but it is still centered on making funny faces and writing down whatever I can to make myself laugh.
#10
We should go back to sleep.
Final score:
67points
#11
If you can read this, I am sorry to inform you that the little candies have all been eaten.
Final score:
64points
#12
So... We meet again...
Final score:
59points
#13
Please do not forget to blink every four seconds.
Final score:
58points
#14
When I find fruits that resemble human buttocks I display them in here. Look!
Final score:
54points
#15
I made you a salad with wild edibles I found on my nature walk.
Final score:
53points
#16
I didn't know what to get you, so I got you this fancy bowl. It was 700 dollars.
Final score:
53points
#17
I am ready for lunch.
Final score:
52points
#18
Devote your life to us please.
Final score:
50points
#19
The amazing fish who can speak.
Final score:
44points
#21
Final score:
44points
Selina DA Ostrich 3 years ago
See? Even the bowl wants food, GO SHARE, DON'T BE GREEDY, sharing is caring :)
#22
Your hands are a little gross. Please use a fork to eat the rest of the M&Ms.
Final score:
42points
#23
Today is a good day to quit your job ans start illegal tilapia farm in the basement. Live your dream!
Final score:
42points
#24
Measured in bananas, the circumference of this bowl is one.
Final score:
40points
#27
For your collection of very small rocks that look a little like human teeth.
Final score:
38points
Kraneia The Dancing Dryad 2 years ago
I don't have tooth rocks....but I have several heart shaped ones, would those do?
#28
Wow! This is just like eating off of my bathroom floor!
Final score:
36points
#29
Fine art.
Final score:
36points
#30
This water is from the sink, not the toilet.
Final score:
35points
#31
It's a shame that this thing only goes in one direction.
Final score:
34points
#32
My pen is regular size.
Final score:
34points
#33
I am looking forward to eating your corpse.
Final score:
33points
#34
Let's see if we can eat pancakes all day every day for a few months and survive.
Final score:
33points
#36
Now is not a good time.
Final score:
33points
#37
Beep beep bip I am not programmed to wash dishes. Beep booop I am only programmed to dance.
Final score:
32points
Silvermidnight 3 years ago
robot.exe. not doing dishes . . . loading . . . loading . . . robot.exe not doing dishes . . .
#38
I just want to eat soup and go to bed early, man.
Final score:
31points
#39
I took a shower and I no longe smell bad and I think we should make out.
Final score:
30points
#40
I'll eat it.
Final score:
29points
#41
I have been collecting these nuts for months to sustain me during the harsh winter ahead, but go ahead, have some as a snack i don't mind at all.
Final score:
21points
#42
Final score:
21points
#43
I keep accidentally time-travelling in the wrong direction, and now I am late for work.
Final score:
20points
#44
Evidence of the divine creator's handiwork can be seen in my otherworldly beauty.
Final score:
20points
#45
Fart supplies.
Final score:
20points
Silvermidnight 3 years ago
"In the case of a disturbance that is too great, use these emergency tools."
#46
This is that cup from Indiana Jones #3, but it's the real one.
Final score:
19points
#47
We are out of cheerios and I am ready to resort to cannibalism.
Final score:
18points
#48
Portable micro-toilet.
Final score:
18points
#49
You are mega-nerd.
Final score:
17points
#50
I have eaten too much and now I fall asleep.
Final score:
16points
#51
I memorized a lot of phone numbers as a kid and will now say them all out loud. Enjoy!
Final score:
16points
#52
Let's eat garbage.
Final score:
16points
#53
Let's get out of here!
Final score:
16points
#54
Yes, I have been sticking my feet in the peanut bowl, but my feet have been in my rainboots all day and they are way cleaner than my hands are.
Final score:
15points
#55
Final score:
15points
Silvermidnight 3 years ago
Bob the Unicorn: "You know, fantasy animals suffer from the desire to smoke and sleep deprivation too!"
#56
Welcome to my home. Please eat out of this special bowl that looks like the toilet.
Final score:
15points
#58
I am a heart worm and I love you.
Final score:
13points
#59
The naked mole-rats are having a craaazy party in here!
Final score:
12points
#61
Just some former and current lovers who are obsessed with me.
Final score:
12points
#62
Toenail clippings.
Final score:
12points
#63
Former roomates.
Final score:
12points
#64
Cooking tip: a bowl of frosted flakes tastes pretty good with cheese melted on top if you are very very stoned.
Final score:
12points
#65
This container is mostly for compost but you could probably fit a severed head in it.
Final score:
12points
#69
Ones with words.
Final score:
10points
#70
What is even going on right now?
Final score:
9points
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