Chinese studio Bentu Design has launched its Wreck furniture range, aiming to shed light on the significant waste generated by the ceramics industry. The collection features side tables, lamp shades, and benches crafted from a blend of ceramic shards and concrete. Instead of fully crushing the ceramic pieces, Bentu leaves the shards visible on the surfaces of the final products.
To create the furniture, the ceramic and concrete mix is cast into molds and left to set. A subtle color finish is applied, highlighting the visible fragments of bowls, cups, and even Buddha statues incorporated into the designs. Bentu Design, founded in 2011, conducted a thorough study of the ceramic waste produced in Chaozhou, a major ceramics production hub in eastern China.
Chaozhou produces approximately 70 percent of the world’s daily-use ceramic commodities. As global demand for ceramic products increases, new factories in Chaozhou have emerged to meet this demand. However, this growth has led to a corresponding increase in ceramic waste.
To address the issue, some factories in Chaozhou are being replaced by recycling plants that process ceramic waste not just from China, but globally. Most of the waste is transformed into unusable fragments, some of which Bentu Design has repurposed for their furniture line. By utilizing discarded materials, Bentu aims to highlight the hidden value in this waste.
The studio, known for its philosophy of “local creating,” emphasizes working with local materials and resources. According to the studio, even materials like dirt, when carefully treated, can hold as much value as precious elements. This approach informed their decision to make everyday objects like lamps and furniture, encouraging users to connect with the materials and reflect on their origins.
Bentu has also experimented with various other materials such as concrete, terrazzo, old industrial pipes, soil, and even yak dung. The studio stated that they have always focused on ordinary and seemingly useless materials, such as construction waste and industrial byproducts, in their design process.
In their efforts to promote resource conservation and energy reduction, Bentu experimented with biodegradable materials like yak dung for furniture production. They have also explored regenerating materials such as animal bone ash and straw, furthering their commitment to sustainable design practices.
In a previous collection titled Ceramics Made, which featured shelving and tables, Bentu utilized old tiles to create a terrazzo-like texture. The tiles for this terrazzo were sourced from Foshan, another industrial hub in China.
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