Design | Jurrijn Huffenreuter's Blocks: Open Craft | CFile

Jurrijn Huffenreuter has devised a ceramics system that seamlessly unites craft and industrial design and happens to produce fascinating objects too. He calls his creation Blocks: Open Craft and it was included in the inaugural XS ARCHITECTURE Market (August 30 – September 1, 2013) in Amsterdam, an event that represented and sold products, objects and prototypes designed by architects or artists and designers that demonstrate a clear link to the world of architecture. Blocks is a set of plaster molds that can be configured modularly to create an almost infinite array of forms. Huffenreuter has thought of everything, the Blocks “kit” is packaged in neatly stacking wooden boxes which contain everything you need to begin production (except clay). Huffenreuter is equally comprehensive when he is explaining his concept, he states:

Traditionally, the production of ceramics is a very rigid system: one mold is used to produce one product. Blocks is a modular plaster mold system, which can produce an infinite amount of ceramic products.

Blocks shows a new direction for craft, which the designer calls “Open Craft”. The production technique has the advantages of 3D printing, but then applied to a craft technique. It allows customization, fast production of unique pieces and supplies flexibility to the ceramic production process.

The goal of Blocks is to make craft accessible for people without acquiring all the relevant skills. Expertise and skills in ceramics are not required when working with this molding system. The costly and time consuming phases of the traditional ceramic production like model making and mold making can be left out. This way the ceramic craft is extremely accessible.

Jurrijn Huffenreuter is an independent designer living in Amsterdam. He graduated from the Design Academy Eindhoven in 2010 and earned his Bachelor of Design from designLAB at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in 2012.